


The De-Aged Doctor and the Lost Hero

by Whovian101



Series: The De-Aged Doctor and the Heroes of Olympus [1]
Category: Doctor Who, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-25
Updated: 2020-05-21
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:33:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 32
Words: 66,540
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23833162
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Whovian101/pseuds/Whovian101
Summary: The Doctor wakes up to find himself on a school bus with gaps in his memory and no clue of how he got there. He teams up with Jason Grace, Piper McLean, and Leo Valdez on a quest to save Hera, who has gone missing. As always, chaos and danger ensues.
Series: The De-Aged Doctor and the Heroes of Olympus [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1717288
Comments: 29
Kudos: 39





	1. A Surprise Trip to the Grand Canyon

The Doctor opened his eyes only to find himself on a school bus. One of those bright yellow American ones. There were a few dozen students sprawled on seats in front of him, listening to music, talking, or sleeping. They all looked maybe fifteen or sixteen. He shifted uncomfortably and looked down, only to see an unfamiliar body – or, a distantly familiar body. He was back in his first body, the younger years of his first body. He looked around the same age as the students here. But his physical form was not what was concerning him the most, nor was it the unfamiliar setting. It was the fact that he hadn’t the faintest idea how he got there, or where _there_ was.

The bus rumbled along an uneven road. Out the windows, desert rolled by under a vibrant blue sky. It felt to be December of 2009. Well, that was something. At least his time-sense was intact.

“Jason,” A girl in the row next to him squeezed the hand of the boy she was sitting next to. “Jason, you okay?” She was wearing faded jeans, hiking boots, and a fleece jacket. Her thick brown hair was choppy and uneven, with thin strands braided down the sides. She wore no makeup, but was unnaturally beautiful for a human. 

The boy, Jason, let go of the girl’s hand. “Um, I don’t –”

At the front of the bus, a teacher shouted, “All right, cupcakes, listen up!” He seemed to be some sort of sports coach. He had a baseball cap that was pulled low over his hair and he had a wispy goatee on his sour face. He was wearing nylon workout trousers and spotless white trainers. A whistle hung from his neck and a megaphone clipped to his belt. He looked to be maybe five feet tall, and when he stood up in the aisle, one of the students called,

“Stand up, Coach Hedge!”

“I heard that!” The coach scanned the bus for the offender. His eyes then fixed on Jason, then onto the Doctor. His scowl deepened as though he knew the Doctor wasn’t supposed to be there.

Yet the coach said nothing, turning away and clearing his throat. “We’ll arrive in five minutes! Stay with your group. Don’t lose your worksheet. And if any of you precious little cupcakes cause any trouble on this trip, I will personally send you back to campus the hard way.”

He picked up a baseball bat and pretended he was hitting a ball.

“Can he talk to us that way?” Jason asked the girl next to her.

She shrugged. “Always does. This is the Wilderness School. Where kids are the animals.”

“This is some kind of mistake,” Jason said, he looked just as confused as the Doctor felt. “I’m not supposed to be here.”

The boy in front of them turned and laughed. “Yeah, right, Jason. We’ve all been framed! I didn’t run away six times, the Doctor didn’t take down the entire security system of an entire government facility, and Piper didn’t steal a BMW.”

Yeah, that did sound like something he’d do.

The girl blushed. “I didn’t steal that car, Leo!”

“Oh, I forgot, Piper. What was your story? You ‘talked’ the dealer into lending it to you?” He raised his eyebrows at the Doctor, who furrowed his eyebrows. “Anyway,” Leo went on, “I hope you’ve got your worksheet, ‘cause I used mine for spit wads days ago. Why are you looking at me like that? Somebody draw on my face again?”

“I don’t know you,” Jason said. It appeared that he was on the exact same page as the Doctor. 

Leo gave a mischievous grin. “Sure. I’m not your best friend. I’m his evil clone.”

“Leo Valdez!” Coach Hedge yelled from the front. “Problem back there?” Leo winked at Jason.

“Watch this.” He turned to the front. “Sorry, Coach! I was having trouble hearing you. Could you use your megaphone, please?”

Coach Hedge grunted as though he was pleased to have an excuse. He unclipped his megaphone from his belt and continued to give directions, but his voice came out cartoonish and like Darth Vader. The children cracked up. The coach tried once more, but the megaphone blared: “The cow says moo!”

The children howled with laughter and the coach slammed down his megaphone. “Valdez!”

Piper stifled a laugh, “My god, Leo. How did you do that?”

Leo slipped a tiny screwdriver from his sleeve. “I’m a special boy.”

“Guys, seriously,” Jason pleaded. “What am I doing here? Where are we going?”

The Doctor shrugged. “I’m just as confused as you are.”

“Are you guys joking?” Piper knit her eyebrows.

“No!” Jason said. “I have no idea! You’re confused too?” He looked at the Doctor.

The Doctor shrugged.

Piper tried to take his hand again, but he pulled it away. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I don’t – I can’t –”

“That’s it!” Coach Hedge yelled from the front. “The back row has just volunteered to clean up after lunch!” The rest of the students cheered.

“There’s a shocker,” Leo muttered. But Piper kept her eyes on the Doctor and Jason. 

“Did you two hit your heads? You really don’t know who we are?”

Jason shrugged helplessly. “It’s worse than that. I don’t know who _I_ am.”

The bus dropped them off at a large red stucco complex in the midst of the desert.

“What about you then, Doctor?” Piper asked.

“Well, I know who _I_ am,” The Doctor said, “It’s just you lot. It’s like I have a gap in my memory…”

“Well, what’s the last thing you can remember?”

The Doctor hesitated. “I lost…a friend of mine. Donna…”

“You’ve never mentioned her before…” Piper mumbled. “What…what happened to her? Did she…?”

“No,” The Doctor said quickly, “She’s fine. With her family. She just…Anyways.”

“Okay…” Piper murmured.

“So, a crash course for the amnesiacs,” Leo said helpfully. “We go to the ‘Wilderness School’” – Leo made air quotes with his fingers – “Which means we’re ‘bad kids.’ Your families, or the court, or whoever, decided you were too much trouble, so they shipped you guys off to this lovely prison – sorry, ‘boarding school,’ in Armpit, Nevada, where you learn valuable nature skills like running ten miles a day through cacti and weaving daisies into hats! And for a special treat we go on ‘educational’ field trips with Coach Hedge, who keeps order with a baseball bat. Is it all coming back to you now?”

“No.” Jason said.

“Nope.” The Doctor agreed.

Leo rolled his eyes. “You guys are really gonna play this out, huh? Okay, so the four of us started here together this semester. We’re totally tight. You guys do everything I say and give me your desserts and do my chores –”

“Leo!” Piper snapped.

“Fine. Ignore that last part. But we _are_ friends. Well, Jason, Piper’s a little more than your friend in the last few weeks.”

“Leo, stop it!” Piper and Jason’s faces turned red.

“They’ve got amnesia or something,” Piper said. “We’ve got to tell somebody.”

Leo scoffed. “Who, Coach Hedge? He’d try to fix them by whacking them upside the head.

The coach was at the front of the group, barking orders and blowing his whistle to try to keep the kids in line, yet every so often he’d glance back at the Doctor and Jason to scowl.

“Leo, they need our help,” Piper insisted. “They must have concussions or –”

“Yo, Piper.” One of the other boys dropped back to join them as the group was heading into the museum. The new boy wedged himself between Jason and Piper, pushing Leo and the Doctor from the way. “Don’t talk to these bottom-feeders. You’re in my group, remember?”

This boy had a dark haircut and a deep tan. His teeth were so white that they looked fake. He was wearing a Dallas Cowboys jersey, Western jeans and boots, and he smiled as though he was a gift to juvenile delinquent girls everywhere.

“Go away, Dyllan,” Piper grumbled. “I didn’t ask to work with you and Ruben.”

“Ah, that’s no way to be. This is your lucky day!” Dylan hooked his arm through hers and dragged her over to another girl, who, despite being quite pretty, looked relatively disinterested in him.”

Leo got up and brushed himself off. “I hate that guy.” He rolled his eyes and mocked, _“I’m Dylan. I’m so cool, I want to date myself, but I can’t figure out how! You want to date me instead? You’re so lucky!”_

“Leo, you’re weird.” Jason said.

“You wouldn’t be telling me that if you remembered the Doctor.” Leo grinned.

“How much…how much do you know about me?” The Doctor asked.

“Well, you’re British, that’s for one,” Leo said. “And you’re weird. I mean, you don’t make a lot of sense, talking like you’re from another planet. And you’re _crazy_ smart, like, you’re like a genius.”

“That’s it, then?”

“Yeah, but we know you’re keeping secrets,” He grinned mischievously. “And just because you can’t remember me doesn’t mean I’m gonna stop trying to get answers.”

The Doctor grinned, “That sounds about right.”

“But you know what the best part about you two not remembering me is?” Leo grinned. “It means I can reuse all my old jokes. Come on!”

The Doctor, Jason, and Leo made their way through the building, stopping here and there for Coach Hedge to lecture them with his megaphone, or for the Doctor to pause to correct some of the plaques. Leo kept pulling out nuts, bolts, and pipe cleaners from his pockets and putting them together. He couldn’t keep his hands still.

“Hey Piper,” One of the girls called to Piper, “Does your tribe run this place? Do you get in free if you do a rain dance?” The rest of the girls laughed.

“Oi!” The Doctor shouted, but Piper shot him a dirty look that told him she could handle it.

“My dad’s Cherokee,” She said. “Not Hualapai. ‘Course you’d need a few brain cells to know the difference, Isabel.”

Isabel widened her eyes in mock surprise. “Oh, sorry! Was your _mom_ in this tribe? Oh, that’s right. You never knew your mom.”

Piper charged her, but before a fight could start, Coach Hedge barked, “Enough back there! Set a good example or I’ll break out my baseball bat!”

The group shuffled on to the next exhibit, but the girls kept calling out little comments to Piper.

“Good to be back on the rez?” One asked in a sweet voice.

“Dad’s probably too drunk to work!” Another said with false sympathy. “That’s why she turned klepto.” Piper ignored them, the Doctor was about to say something, when Leo grabbed his arm.

“Be cool. Piper doesn’t like us fighting her battles. Besides, if those girls found out the truth about her dad, they’d be all bowing down to her and screaming, ‘We’re not worthy!’”

“Who’s her father, then?” The Doctor asked.

Leo laughed in disbelief as they reached the far end of the exhibit hall, where some large glass doors led out towards a terrace.

“All right, cupcakes,” Coach Hedge announced. “You are about to see the Grand Canyon. Try not to break it. The skywalk can hold the weight of seventy jumbo jets, so you featherweights should be safe out there. If possible, try to avoid pushing each other over the edge, as that would cause me extra paperwork.”

The coach opened the doors as they stepped outside. The Grand Canyon spread before them, live and in person. Extending over the edge was a walkway made of glass.

“Man,” Leo said. “That’s pretty wicked.”

Birds circled at their feet and banks of storm clouds moved overhead.

Jason suddenly pinched the bridge of his nose, looking nauseous.

“Jason, you ‘right?”

Jason grabbed the railing, a thin sheen of sweat covered his brow. He blinked.

“I’m fine,” He managed. “Just a headache.”

Thunder rumbled overhead. A cold wind almost knocked Jason sideways. “This can’t be safe.”

Leo said, squinted at the clouds. “Storm’s right over us, but it’s clear all the way around. Weird, huh?”

The Doctor looked up to the sky. A dark circle of clouds parked itself over the skywalk, but the rest of the sky in every direction was perfectly clear.

“All right, cupcakes!” Coach Hedge yelled, frowning at the storm and looking unnerved. “We may have to cut this short, so get to work! Remember, complete sentences!”

The storm rumbled and Jason removed a small golden coin from his pocket.

“Dang, is that gold?” Leo asked. “You've been holding out on me!”

The Doctor furrowed his eyebrows, it wasn’t any coin he’d ever seen before.

“It’s nothing,” Jason promised. “Just a coin.”

Leo shrugged. “Come on. Dare you to split over the edge.”

As the Doctor filled out the worksheets, Leo built a helicopter out of pipe cleaners.

“Check it out.” He launched it into the air. It made it halfway across the canyon before it lost momentum and spiraled into the void.

“That was brilliant.” The Doctor grinned. 

“How’d you do that?” Jason asked.

Leo shrugged. “Would’ve been cooler if I had some rubber bands.”

“Seriously,” Jason said, “are we friends?”

“Last I checked.”

“You sure? What was the first day we met?” Jason quizzed. “What did we talk about?”

“It was…” Leo frowned. “I don’t recall exactly. I’m ADHD, man. You can’t expect me to remember details.”

“But we don’t remember you _at all_. I don’t remember anyone here. What if –”

“You guys are right and everyone else is wrong?” Leo asked. “You think the two of you just appeared here this morning, and we’ve all got fake memories of you?”

“It’s certainly possible,” The Doctor said, running his hands through his hair. “I could…I could try something…”

“What?” Leo asked.

The Doctor moved his fingers towards Leo’s temples.

“Did you do this?” The coach shouted, causing the Doctor to jump away from Leo. The coach was glaring at Jason.

“Do what?” Jason asked.

Coach Hedge glared at him. “Don’t play games with me, kid. What are you doing here and why are you messing up my job?”

“You mean…you _don’t_ know me?” Jason said. “What about the Doctor? We’re not your students?” 

Coach Hedge snorted. “Never seen either of you before today.”

“Look, we don’t know how we got here.” The Doctor said.

“Yeah, we just woke up on the school bus. All I know is that I’m not supposed to be here.”

“Got that right.” Coach Hedge murmured. “One of you’ve got a powerful way with the Mist. If you can make all these people think they know you, but you can’t fool me. I’ve been smelling monster for days now. I knew we had an infiltrator, but neither of you smell like monster. You smell like half-blood,” He said to Jason, “And you…” He narrowed his eyes, examining the Doctor. “You smell like the stars… So who are you, and where’d you come from?”

“Half-blood?” The Doctor asked.

Coach Hedge narrowed his eyes. “Look, I don’t know _who_ you two are, or what _you_ are,” He indicated to the Doctor. “But I don know you’re trouble. Now I got to protect four of you rather than two. Are you two the special package? Is that it?”

“What special package?” The Doctor asked.

The coach looked at the storm as the clouds thickened.

“This morning,” He said, “I got a message from camp. They said an extraction team is on the way. They’re coming to pick up a special package, but they wouldn’t give me details. I thought to myself, ‘Fine, the two I’m watching are pretty powerful, older than most. I know they’re being stalked. I can smell a monster in the group. I figure that’s why the camp is suddenly frantic to pick them up. But then you two pop up out of nowhere. So, are you the special package?”

Jason closed his eyes, his head in his hands. 

He stumbled. Coach Hedge caught him. 

“Woah there, cupcake. You say you got no memories, huh? Fine. I’ll just have to watch you too. Until the team gets here. We’ll let the director figure things out.”

“The director?” The Doctor asked.

“My gods, you ask a lot of questions.” Coach Hedge rolled his eyes. “Just sit tight. Reinforcements should be here soon. Hopefully nothing happens before –” Lightning crackled overhead. The wind picked up with a vengeance. Worksheets flew into the Grand Canyon and the entire bridge shuddered. Students screamed, stumbling and grabbing the rails.

“I had to say something,” Coach Hedge grumbled. He bellowed into his megaphone: “Everyone inside! The cow says moo! Off the skywalk!”

“I thought you said this thing was stable!” Jason shouted over the wind.

“Under normal circumstances,” the coach agreed. “Which these aren’t. Come on!”


	2. A Forgotten Face

The storm quickly morphed into a small hurricane. Funnel clouds snaked dangerously towards the skywalk.

Students screamed and ran for the building. The wind whisked away notebooks, jackets, hats, and rucksacks. The Doctor clutched the railing. After traveling in the TARDIS for so long, this wasn’t anything all too difficult to do. 

Jason skidded across the slick floor and Leo nearly toppled off the railing, but the Doctor grabbed him and pulled him back.

“Thanks, man!” Leo yelled.

“Come on, go go!” The Doctor shouted, desperately trying to get everyone off the sky bridge.

“Doctor, come on!” Jason grabbed the Doctor’s arm and pulled him towards the other side. The Doctor, Jason, Leo, and Coach Hedge ran towards Piper and Dylan, who were holding the doors open. The other girl was nowhere to be seen. But the wind was fighting their every step.

Dylan and Piper pushed one more student inside, then lost their grip on the doors. They slammed shut, closing off the skywalk.

Piper tugged on the handles. Inside, the students pounded on the glass, but the doors appeared to be stuck. The Doctor took out his Sonic Screwdriver, pointing it at the doors.

“They’re deadlocked!”

“What?” Piper shouted at him. “The sonic’s never failed before!”

“It’s not failing!” The Doctor shouted back, “The doors have got a deadlock seal.”

“What does that mean?” Jason called over the wind.

“It means that someone here knows more than they’re saying!”

The Doctor looked directly at Dylan, who was standing there with a cruel grin.

“Sorry, darling.” He flicked his wrist and Piper, who had been running over to try and get the doors open went flying backwards, slamming into the wall.

“Piper!” Jason tried to charge forth, but the wind was against him and Coach Hedge pushed him back. “Coach, let me go!”

“You three boys, stay behind me,” The coach ordered. “This is my fight. I should’ve known that was our monster.”

“Right, good luck trying to stop me.” The Doctor said.

“What monster?” Leo demanded.

The coach’s cap blew off, and sticking above his curly hair were two small horns. He lifted his baseball bat, which had changed into a crudely shaped tree-branch club, with twigs and leaves still attached.

Dylan gave him a psychotic smile. “Oh, come on,  _ Coach.  _ Let the boy attack me! After all, you’re getting too old for this. Isn’t that why they  _ retired  _ you to this stupid school? I’ve been on your team the entire season, and you didn’t even know. You’re losing your nose, grandpa.”

The coach made an angry bleating. “That’s it, cupcake. You’re going down.”

“You think you can protect four half-bloods at once, old man?” Dylan laughed. “Good luck.”

He pointed at Leo, and the funnel cloud materialized around him, sending the boy flying off the skywalk as though tossed. Somehow, he managed to twist in midair and slam sideways into the canyon wall. He skidded, clawing furiously for any handhold. Finally, he grabbed a thin ledge about fifteen meters below the skywalk and hung there by his fingertips.

“Help!” He yelled up at them. “Rope, please? Bungee cord? Something?” The Doctor ran over, trying to find something to send down. And then Coach Hedge ran past him. He had kicked his shoes off, but instead of human feet, he had hooves.

“You’re a faun!” Jason said.

“A satyr!” The Doctor agreed.

“Yes, satyr. Fauns are Roman. But we’ll talk about that later.” The coach snapped. He leapt over the railing and sailed towards the canyon wall and hit hooves first. He bounded down the cliff with an impressive agility, finding the smallest of footholds and dodging whirlwinds that tried to attack him as he made his way towards Leo.

“Distract him!” He shouted at the Doctor.

“Isn’t that cute!” Dylan turned towards Jason. “Now it’s your turn, boy.”

Jason threw a club. The Doctor expected it to be thrown off-course by the wind, but it sailed right through, even curving when Dylan attempted to dodge. It crashed into his head and he fell to his knees.

Piper wasn’t as dazed as she appeared. Her fingers closed around the club as it rolled next to her, but before she could use it, Dylan rose. Golden blood trickling from his forehead.

“Nice try, boy.” He glared at Jason. “But you’ll have to do better.” The skywalk shuddered. Hairline fractures appeared in the glass. Inside the museum, the students ceased banging on the doors, backing away to watch in terror.

Dylan’s body dissolved into smoke, his molecules shifting. He had the same face, but his entire form was suddenly composed of swirling black vapor, his eyes the electrical sparks in a living storm cloud. He sprouted black smoky wings and rose above the skywalk.

“You’ren anemoi thuellai,” The Doctor said as Dylan ascended. “Oh, that’s brilliant. You’re brilliant.”

“A Ventus.” Jason said.

“Ventus is the Roman term for it, yes.” The Doctor said, admiring him, “Also known as Storm Spirits.”

Dylan laughed. “I’m glad I waited. Leo and Piper I’ve known about for weeks. Could’ve killed them at any time. But my mistress said others were coming – A child of the sky and the god amongst the stars. She’ll reward me greatly for your deaths!”

Two more funnel clouds touched down on either side of Dylan and turned into ghostly young men with smoky wings and eyes that flickered with lightning.

Piper stayed down, pretending to be dazed, her hand still gripping the club. Her face was pale, but she still looked determined. She gave him a nod that told him to keep the monster’s attention.

“Right, so you want to kill us,” The Doctor said, “But what if I could offer you something better?”

“Better than your deaths?” Dylan narrowed his eyes.

“Oh, yeah. What did your mistress call me? A god?”

“You are a god of the stars, a vengeful deity of –”

“This mistress, then. Who is she?”

“I will not tell you! Now tell me what it is that is so much better than your demise!”

“Yeah, I could tell you that, couldn’t I?” The Doctor shrugged. “But first I need to know who you’re working for.”

“No.” 

“Doctor!” Dylan raised his hand and arcs of electricity ran through his fingers, just as Jason dove in front of the Doctor. 

“NO!”

There was a  _ Bang! _

Jason hit the ground.

“Jason!” The Doctor kneeled next to the boy. His clothes were smoking.

The Doctor stood up. He walked threateningly towards Dylan.

“You killed him.” He growled. “You killed someone I liked. That is not a safe place to stand.”

“What does it matter, you will be dead too in a moment.” Dylan laughed.

“Oh, the funniest bit is that you don’t know who I am.” The Doctor smiled sourly. “You may think me a god, but I am not. I’m the Oncoming Storm, the Bringer of Darkness. I’m the Doctor. And you just had to go and make me angry.”

The smile on Dylan’s face died, his skin was growing pale and anxious.

“Doctor?”

The Doctor spun around to see Jason rising unsteadily to his feet.

“How are you alive?” Dylan demanded. “That was enough to kill twenty men!”

“My turn,” Jason said. He reached into his pocket and removed the gold coin. He flipped it in the air, catching it in his palm. The Doctor watched as the coin morphed into a golden double-edged sword, the ridge grip fitting perfectly in the boy's fingers.

Dylan began to back up. “Well? Kill them!” He commanded his backup. The other anemoi thuellai didn’t look all that happy with the order, but they flew at the Doctor and Jason, their fingers crackling with electricity.

Jason swung at the first one, his blade passing through it smoothly. The creature disintegrated into dust.

The second monster let loose a bolt of lightning, which the Doctor rolled underneath. It shot another bolt, which Jason intercepted with his sword. The blade absorbed the charge, and in one swift thrust, and the second Storm spirit dissolved into gold powder.

Dylan wailed in outrage. He looked down as if expecting his mates to reform, but their gold dust remained and dispersed in the wind. 

“Impossible! Who  _ are  _ you, half-blood!”

Piper was so stunned that she dropped her club. “How…?”

Just then, Coach Hedge leapt back onto the skywalk and dumped Leo. 

“Spirits, fear me!” He bellowed, flexing his arms. He then looked around to realize that Dylan was the only one left.

“Curse it!” He snapped at the Doctor and Jason. “Didn’t you leave some for me? I like a challenge!”

Leo got to his feet, breathing hard and looking utterly humiliated.

“Yo, Coach Supergoat, whatever you are – I just fell down the freaking Grand Canyon! Stop asking for challenges!”

Dylan hissed at them, but the Doctor could see the fear etched in his eyes. “You have no idea how many enemies you’ve awakened, half-bloods. My mistress will destroy  _ all  _ demigods. This war you  _ cannot  _ win.”

Above them, the storm exploded, cracks expanding in the skywalk. Sheets of rain poured and wind threatened to throw them over the side.

A hole opened in the clouds – a swirling vortex of black and silver. “The mistress calls me back!” Dylan shouted with glee. “And you, Doctor, will be coming with me!”

Dylan lunged at the Doctor, but Piper tackled him from behind. Despite the fact that Dylan was made of smoke, Piper managed to make contact, sending them both sprawling. Leo, Jason, the Doctor, and the coach surged forth to help, but the storm spirit screamed with rage, letting loose a torrent that knocked them all backwards. Jason, Coach Hedge, and the Doctor landed semi-harmlessly on the ground. Jason’s sword skidded across the glass. Leo hit the back of his head and curled on his side, dazed and groaning. Piper got the worst of it. She was thrown from Dylan’s back and hit the railing, tumbling over the side until she was hanging by one hand over the abyss. The Doctor and Jason started towards her, but Dylan screamed.

“I’ll settle for this one!”

He grabbed Leo’s arm and began to rise, towing the half-conscious boy beneath him. The storm spun faster and faster, pulling them upwards into the air.

“Help!” Piper yelled. “Somebody!” She then slipped, screaming as she fell.

“Jason, go!” Coach Hedge yelled. “Save her!” The coach launched himself at the monster, lashing out with his hooves and knocking Leo free from the anemoi thuellai’s grasp. Leo dropped safely to the floor, but Dylan grappled the coach’s arms instead. The satyr tried to head-butt him, then kicked him and called him cupcake as they rose into the air, gaining speed.

Coach Hedge shouted down once more, “Save her! I got this!”

The satyr and the spirit spiraled into the clouds and disappeared.

Before the Doctor could do anything, Jason ran to the railing and jumped over the side.

“Jason!” The Doctor shouted as the boy plummeted to the ground.

And then, just before he hit the ground, they stopped.

The Doctor watched in shock as Jason clutched Piper in his arms as they floated in midair.

And then he shot up. It looked unpracticed, clumsy, but they were steadily going up.

“The air is supporting us,” the Doctor could hear Jason saying as he got closer to the top. 

“Well, tell it to support us more!” Piper shrieked. “Get us out of here!”

It was then that the Doctor noticed that the rain had stopped, and the storm clouds were beginning to disperse. The Doctor hurried back over to Leo, turning him over.

Leo let out a pained groan. His army coat was soaked from the rain and his curly hair glittered gold from rolling around in the monster dust. But he was alive.

“Stupid…ugly…goat,” he muttered. 

“Where did he go?” The Doctor asked.

“Never came down.” Leo said. “Please tell me he didn’t actually save my life.”

“Twice,” The Doctor grinned.

Leo groaned even louder.

“What happened? The tornado guy, the gold sword…I hit my head. That’s it, right? I’m hallucinating?”

“I wish you were.” The Doctor grumbled as Jason and Piper arose from the Canyon. 

Jason picked up his sword and flipped it. Midspin, it shrunk back into a coin and landed in his palm.

“Yep,” Leo said. “Definitely hallucinating.”

“Doctor, those things…” Piper shivered in her rain-soaked clothing.

“Anemoi thuellai,” The Doctor said. 

“Okay…have you – have you seen them before?”

The Doctor ran his hands over his face. “I can’t remember…”

“And you, Jason. Who  _ are  _ you?” She demanded.

Jason shook his head. “That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you. I don’t know.”

The storm finally dissipated. The other students from the Wilderness School were staring out of the glass in horror. Security guards were working on the locks now, but they didn’t seem to be having any luck. Deadlock seals will do that to you.

“Coach Hedge said he had to protect four people,” Jason remembered. “I think he meant us.”

“And that thing Dylan turned into…” Piper shuddered. “I can’t believe it was  _ hitting  _ on me. He called you a god,” She said to the Doctor, “And he called us…what,  _ demigods? _ But I’m not feeling too godly. You guys feeling godly?”

There was a brittle sound of dry twigs snapping and the cracks in the skywalk began to widen.

“Right, we need to get off this bridge.” The Doctor said.

“Maybe if we –” Jason began, but Leo interrupted.

“Look up there and tell me if those are flying horses.”

“What?” The Doctor looked up only to see a dark shape descending from the east. They were horses, each with a five meter wingspan. Behind them, they pulled a massive chariot.

“Reinforcements,” Jason said, “Remember Doctor, Hedge said there was an extraction squad coming for us!”

“Extraction squad?” Leo questioned as the Doctor helped him to his feet. “That sounds painful.”

“And where are they extracting us  _ to?”  _ Piper asked.

The Doctor watched as the chariot landed on the far end of the skywalk. The pegasi tucked their wings and cantered nervously across the glass, they clearly knew it was near its breaking point. Two teenagers stood in the chariot, one was a tall blonde girl, she looked familiar. Like there was a suppressed memory of her, trying to make its way to the surface.

“Doctor!”

“What?” He looked at her.

“Didn’t expect to see you here, but I can’t say I’m disappointed.” She looked around. “Where’s Gleeson?”

“Who?”

“The protector…” The girl said as though it were obvious.

“He got taken by the anemoi thuellai…” The Doctor said, “How do you – You know my name. Have you met me before?”

“Yeah?” The girl looked at the Doctor with concern, then realization. “Oh, we must not have met yet.”

The skywalk shuddered. “Right, Annabeth, we need to get out of here. The storm spirits may just come back.”

“Doctor…”

“What?” The Doctor looked up at the girl.

“You – you know my name…How do you know my name if we’ve not met yet?”

The Doctor hesitated.

“There’s a gap in my memory…Something’s missing. It could be a day, it could be a millenia, I don’t know…but you must be in it.”

“Doctor, you traveled with us for four years…”

“Four years?”

“Yes, we saved Olympus, remember?”

“I – I don’t remember.”

“What about Percy, you have to remember him, right?” Annabeth asked desperately.

“Annabeth, I don’t know.”

“But he’s missing, Doctor, he’s missing!” Annabeth crumbled.

“Percy’s her boyfriend,” The boy, Butch, told him. “She was hoping to be here. But there’s no sign of him. There’s no sign of Percy Jackson.”


	3. Crash Landing into Camp Half-Blood

The Doctor sat by Annabeth as she adjusted the navigation in the chariot.

“Have you any idea how you lost your memory?” She asked, “Like, can we get it back somehow?”

“I expect so, yeah,” The Doctor ran a hand through his hair, “But you see, my brain’s got defences that no one on this planet could ever get through. So whoever’s taken my memories, I must have let them take them. But why would I do that?”

“They could’ve threatened you?” Annabeth suggested.

“Good thinking, but no. It’s a very personal thing to let someone in your head –”

“You let Percy in your head.”

“No, Percy let me in his head. There’s a big difference.”

“Did they threaten someone else, maybe? Have you been traveling with anyone lately?”

“I don’t think so…”

“What is actually going on here?” Piper demanded.

“They’re a bit slow, aren’t they?” Annabeth raised an eyebrow.

“Oi, play nice.”

Annabeth rolled her eyes. “I’m Annabeth, this is Butch,” She indicated towards the boy at the reins with her head, “And we’re taking you guys to a safe place – The  _ only  _ safe place for kids like us. Camp Half-Blood.”

“Half-Blood?” Piper piped up.

“She means we’re demigods,” Jason said, surprising the lot of them. “Half god, half mortal.”

Annabeth looked back at the boy. “You seem to know a lot, Jason. But, yes, demigods. My mom is Athena, goddess of wisdom. Butch here is the son of Iris, the rainbow goddess.”

Leo choked. “Your mom is the rainbow goddess?”

“Got a problem with that?” Butch said.

“No, no,” Leo said quickly, “Rainbows. Very macho.”

“Butch is our best equestrian,” Annabeth said. “He gets along great with the pegasi.”

“Rainbows, ponies,” Leo muttered.

“I’m gonna toss you off this chariot,” Butch warned.

“Demigods,” Piper repeated, “You mean you think you’re…you think we’re –”

Lightning flashed outside and the chariot shuddered.

“Left wheel’s on fire!” Jason yelled.

The Doctor stuck his head out the window. Black smoke was billowing from white flames of the wheel.

The wind roared louder, the Doctor could see dark shapes forming in the clouds, more anemoi thuellai were spiraling towards the chariot, yet these had taken the form of horses.

“What are they –” Piper began.

“More storm spirits,” The Doctor said.

“Sometimes they’re human, sometimes they’re stallions,” Annabeth nodded. “It just depends on how chaotic they are. Hold on. This is going to get rough.”

Butch flicked the reins and the pegasi put forth a burst of speed.

In just a moment they had left the desert behind and were now flying over a green valley, rimmed with snowy hills on three sides and a cold grey ocean to the north. There was a cluster of ancient Greek buildings, a large blue house, ball courts, a lake, and a flaming climbing wall. Somehow, he already knew this was Camp Half-Blood.

It was then that the wheels came off and the chariot dropped out of the sky.

Annabeth and Butch tried to maintain control as the pegasi, too tired to maintain the chariot’s flight pattern, plummeted down.

“The lake!” Annabeth yelled. “Aim for the lake!”

“The surface tension’s not going to be our friend!” The Doctor pointed out. “Where’s Percy when you need him?”

“Percy!” Annabeth shouted. “You remember him!”

“What?”

They hit the water.

The Doctor found himself being dragged from the water by the naiads – not that he couldn’t get out himself, but they kept insisting on helping – and stepped onto the shore of Camp Half-Blood.

There were nearly twenty campers milling about, the youngest looking around nine, and the oldest eighteen or nineteen. All of them had matching bright orange Camp Half-Blood T-shirts.

“Annabeth!” An archer pushed through the crowd. “I said you could  _ borrow  _ the chariot, not destroy it!”

“Will, I’m sorry,” Annabeth sighed. “I’ll get it fixed. I promised.”

Will scowled, then seemed to notice the Doctor.

“Doctor! It’s good to see you!”

“Yeah, and you.” The Doctor said awkwardly.

He then seemed to size up Piper, Leo, and Jason. “These are the ones? Way older than thirteen. Why haven’t they been claimed already?”

“Claimed?” Leo asked.

“Any sign of Percy?” Will asked before anyone could explain. 

“No,” Annabeth admitted. “But we found the Doctor, so that’s something.”

The campers murmured amongst themselves.

Another girl stepped forth, fixing her eyes on Leo and Jason, then curling her lip at Piper in disgust.

“Well,” she said, “I hope they’re worth the trouble.”

“Drew,” The Doctor said warningly.

“Well, at least the names seem to be coming back.” Annabeth said quietly.

The Doctor shrugged.

“So what is this place?” Jason asked. “How long do we have to stay?”

“Jason,” Annabeth said, “I promise we’ll answer your questions. And Drew,” She frowned at the girl, “All demigods are worth saving. But I’ll admit, the trip didn’t accomplish what I hoped.”

“Hey,” Piper said, “We didn’t ask to be brought here.”

Drew sniffed. “And nobody  _ wants  _ you, hon. Does your hair always look like a dead badger.”

“Oi!” The Doctor called.

“We’ll assign them each a guide,” Annabeth said, ignoring Drew. “Give them a tour of camp. Hopefully by the campfire tonight, they’ll be claimed.”

“Would somebody tell me what  _ claimed  _ means?” Piper asked. 

Suddenly, there was a collective gasp and the campers backed away. The Doctor spun around to see that floating over Leo’s head was a blazing holographic image of a fiery hammer.

“That,” Annabeth said, “Is claiming.”

“What’d I do?” Leo backed towards the lake in a panic. “Is my hair on fire?”

“This can’t be good,” Butch muttered. “The curse –”

“Butch, shut up.” Annabeth snapped. “Leo, you’ve just been claimed –”

“By a god,” Jason interrupted. “That’s the symbol of Vulcan, isn’t it?”

All eyes were on him now.

“Jason,” Annabeth said cautiously, “How did you know that?”

“I’m not sure.” Jason admitted.

“Vulcan?” Leo demanded. “I don’t even LIKE  _ Star Trek.  _ What are you talking about?”

“Vulcan,” The Doctor explained, “the Roman god of the blacksmiths, otherwise known as Hephaestus.”

The blazing hammer faded, but Leo kept swatting the air as though he was afraid that it was following him. “The god of  _ what?  _ Who?”

Annabeth turned to the archer. “Will, would you take Leo, give him a tour? Introduce him to his bunkmates in Cabin Nine.”

“Sure, Annabeth.”

“What’s Cabin Nine?” Leo asked. “And I’m not a Vulcan!”

“Come on, Mr. Spock, I’ll explain everything.” Will put a hand on his shoulder and steered him off towards the cabins.

Annabeth turned her attention to Jason, studying him. Finally, she said, “Hold out your arm.”

Jason had removed his windbreaker after crashing in the lake, revealing a tattoo on the inside of his forearm. From Piper’s expression, this was a new development. It was a dozen straight lines with an eagle over it with the letters  _ SPQR _ .

“I’ve never seen marks like this.”

“Neither have I,” The Doctor said, “Where did you get this?”

Jason shook his head. “I’m getting really tired of saying this, but I don’t know.”

The other campers pushed forwards, trying to get a look at Jason’s mark.

“It’s not a tattoo,” The Doctor said quietly, “It’s been burned into his skin, look, do you see the seams it’s got?”

“They were burned,” Jason said, then winced. “I – I think…”

“He needs to go straight to Chiron,” Annabeth decided. “And you should probably go too, Doctor. Drew, will you –”

“Absolutely.” Drew laced her arm through Jason, “Come on, sweetie. I’ll introduce you to our director. He’s… an  _ interesting  _ guy.” She flashed Piper a smug look and led Jason to the Big House. The Doctor rolled his eyes and followed.


	4. A Meeting with Chiron

“Here we are!” Drew said cheerfully, gesturing towards the Big House.

“I am  _ not  _ supposed to be here,” Jason said.

“Why d’you say that?” the Doctor asked.

“I don’t know…” Jason said, “It’s just a feeling. Like I don’t belong.”

“Oh, please. You’re  _ perfect  _ here, sweetie.” Drew cooed. “Believe me, I’ve seen a lot of heroes.”

Jason stared at her, his pupils dilating, he shook his head.

“Look, I appreciate –”

“Is it that girl?” Drew pouted. “Oh, please tell me you are  _ not  _ dating the Dumpster Queen.”

“You mean Piper?” Jason asked in confusion. “Um…”

Drew rolled her eyes. “Let me help you decide, sweetie. You can do better. A guy with your looks and obvious talent?”

“Drew, will you leave him alone? He’s got a lot to deal with right now.”

The girl pouted.

“Oh, Doctor,” She cooed, “I’m just getting to know him.”

The Doctor furrowed his eyebrows and stepped back as Drew placed her hand on his chest.

“What’re you doing?”

She looked confused. “Don’t you…feel anything?”

“Confusion? Discomfort?” He shrugged. “Or are you referring to your charmspeak? Because that won’t work on me.”

Drew blushed furiously. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

She turned back to Jason, but her gaze was not on his face but above his head.

“You’re waiting for a sign,” Jason guessed. “Like what popped over Leo’s head.”

“What? No! Well…yes.” Drew admitted. “I mean, from what I heard, you’re pretty powerful, right? You’re going to be important at camp, so I figure your parent will claim you right away. And I’d love to see that. I wanna be with you every step of the way! So is your dad or mom the god? Please tell me it’s not your mom. I would hate it if you were an Aphrodite kid.”

“Why?” Jason asked.

“Then you’d be my half-brother, silly.” Drew said, “You can’t date somebody from your own cabin. Yuck!”

“But aren’t all gods related?” Jason asked. “So isn’t everyone here your cousin or something?”

“Aren’t you cute! Sweetie, the godly side of your family doesn’t count except for your parent. So anybody from another cabin, they’re fair game.”

“The gods haven’t got proper human DNA,” The Doctor explained, “But they do have their own godly traits. So are Hera and Zeus siblings? Yes. Are they married? Yes. Is that repulsive? Absolutely. Would that make a child of Hera and a child of Zeus related? Not necessarily.”

“So who’s your godly parent?” Drew insisted. “Mom or dad?”

Jason shrugged “I don’t know.”

The clopping of hooves made their way onto the front porch.

“Chiron!” Drew called. “This is Jason. He’s totally awesome!”

Jason backed up, nearly tripping off the porch as Chiron appeared. From the waist up, he was a human with curly brown hair and a well-trimmed beard. He was wearing a T-shirt and had a bow and quiver strapped to his back. From the waist down, he was a white stallion.

“Oh, and the Doctor’s here.” Drew murmured as an afterthought.

Chiron started to smile, until he looked properly at Jason and the colour drained from his face. “You…” His eyes flared, he looked cornered. “You should be dead.”

Chiron ordered Jason and the Doctor inside, telling Drew to return to her cabin. She didn’t seem all that pleased about it.

Chiron trotted over to the empty wheelchair on the porch. He slipped off his quiver and bow and backed up into the chair, the lower-half of his body folding up into the chair, and popping out two false human legs covered in a blanket. 

“Follow me,” He ordered. “We have lemonade.”

The sitting room was a bit of a rainforest. Grapevines curved up the walls and across the ceiling, leafy greens bursting with branches of red grapes.

There was a living, severed leopard’s head above the fireplace. He snarled. Jason jumped violently.

“‘Ello,” The Doctor grinned, scratching him behind the ears, “It’s lovely to see you.”

“That thing is alive!” Jason cried.

“You must excuse the décor,” Chiron said. “All this was a parting gift from our old director before he was recalled to Mount Olympus. He thought it would help us remember him. Mr. D has a strange sense of humor.”

“Mr. D,” Jason said. “Dionysus?”

“Mmm hmm.” Chiron poured lemonade, though his hands were trembling slightly. “As for Seymour over there,” He gestured to the leopard, “Mr. D was appalled that someone would stuff such a noble creature, so he decided to grant it life on the assumption that life as a mounted head was better than no life at all. I must say it’s a kinder fate than Seymour’s previous owner got. Please sit.”

The Doctor and Jason sat down. The Doctor examined Chiron, he was clearly attempting to give off an aura of comfortability, reclining in his wheelchair, but his body was tense and his smile was forced. 

“So, Jason,” He said, “Would you mind telling me – ah – where you’re from?”

“I wish I knew.” Jason said. He proceeded to tell Chiron the entire story. As it turned out, Jason had woken up on the bus without any memory as well. Chiron listened attentively, nodding encouragingly.

“I see,” Chiron said, sipping his lemonade, “And you must have questions for me.”

“Only one,” Jason admitted. “What did you mean when you said that I should be dead?”

Chiron studied Jason with caution.

“My boy,” he said, “Do you know what those marks on your arm mean? The colour of your shirt? Do you remember anything?” Jason looked at the buns in his forearm.

“No.” He said. “Nothing.”

“Do you know where you are?” Chiron asked. “Do you understand what this place is, and who I am?”

“You’re Chiron the centaur,” Jason said. “I’m guessing you’re the same one from the old stories, who used to train the Greek heroes like Hercules. This is a camp for demigods, children of the Olympian gods.”

“So you believe those gods exist?”

“Yes.” Jason said immediately. “I mean, I don’t think we should  _ worship  _ them or sacrifice chickens to them or anything, but they’re still around because they’re a powerful part of civilization. They move from country to country as the center of power shifts – like they moved from Ancient Greece to Rome.”

_ “I couldn’t have said it better.”  _ Chiron said, switching languages.  _ “So you already know the gods are real. You have already been claimed, haven’t you?” _

_ “Maybe,”  _ Jason answered.  _ “I’m not really sure.” _

_ “Why are we speaking Latin?”  _ The Doctor asked.

_ “Quis –  _ What –?” Jason struggled to transition back to English.

“You know Latin,” Chiron observed. “Most demigods recognize a few phrases, of course. It’s in their blood, but not as much as Ancient Greek. None can speak Latin fluently without practice.”

“The Doctor can.” Jason pointed out.

“Yes, well, he’s an…exception to the rule.”

There was a long pause. Chiron looked deeply into the fire.

“I taught your namesake, you know, the original Jason. He had a hard path. I’ve seen many heroes come and go. Occasionally, they have happy endings. Mostly, they don’t. It breaks my heart, like losing a child each time one of my pupils dies. But you – you are not like any pupil I’ve ever taught. Your presence could be a disaster.”

“Thanks,” Jason said. “You must be an inspiring teacher.”

The Doctor stifled a laugh.

“I am sorry, my boy. But it’s true. I had hoped that after Percy’s success –”  
“Percy Jackson, Annabeth said he’s missing.” The Doctor said.

Chiron frowned, perhaps sensing the unfamiliarity in the Doctor’s words. But he just nodded. “I hoped that after he succeeded in the Titan War and saved Mount Olympus, we might have some peace. I might be able to enjoy one final triumph, a happy ending, and perhaps retire quietly. I should have known better. The last chapter approaches, just as it did before. The worst is yet to come.”

“Optimistic.” The Doctor said sarcastically.

“Okay…” Jason said, “So – last chapter, happened before, worst yet to come. Sounds fun, but can we go back to the part where I’m supposed to be dead? I don’t like that part.”

“I’m afraid I can’t explain, my boy. I swore on the River Styx and on all things sacred that I would never…” Chiron frowned. “But you’re here, in violation of the same oath. That too, should not be possible. I don’t understand. Who would’ve done such a thing? Who —”

Seymour howled, his mouth froze, half-open. The arcade game in the corne r stopped beeping. The fire stopped crackling, the flames hardening. The masks stared down silently.

“Chiron?” Jason asked. “What’s going –” But Chiron was frozen too. 

“Something’s disrupting time,” The Doctor murmured.

_ “Jason,”  _ A voice said as dark mist boiled out from Seymour’s mouth. Jason pulled the coin from his pocket and flipped it, raising the sword at the mist.

“Don’t –” The Doctor began, but it was unnecessary.

_ “Would you attack your patron?”  _ The woman chided. Her voice echoed around the room. _ “Lower your sword.” _

“Who are you?” Jason demanded. “How did you –”

_ “Our time is limited, Jason. My prison grows stronger by the hour. It took me a full month to gather enough energy to work even the smallest magic through its bonds. I’ve managed to bring you here with one who will protect you, but I have little time left, and even less power. This may be the last time I can speak to you.” _

“You’re in prison?” Jason asked, though didn’t lower his sword. “Look, I don’t know you, and you’re not my patron.”

_ “You know me,”  _ she insisted.  _ “I have known you since your birth.” _

“I don’t remember. I don’t remember anything!”

_ “No, don’t,”  _ She agreed,  _ “And neither does your protector. And that was necessary. Long ago, your father, Jason, he gave me your life as a gift to placate my anger. He named you Jason, after my favorite mortal. You belong to me.” _

“Whoah,” Jason said. “I don’t belong to anyone.”

_ “Now is the time to pay your debt,”  _ She said.  _ “Find my prison. Free me, or their king will rise from the earth, and I will be destroyed. You will never retrieve your memory.” _

“Is that a threat?” Jason demanded. “You  _ took  _ our memories?”

_ “You have until sunset on the solstice, Jason. Four short days. Do not fail me.” _

The woman dissolved and time unfroze. Seymour’s howl turned to a cough. The fire crackled to life, and Chiron said – “Would dare bring you here?”

“Probably the lady in the mist.” Jason offered.

Chiron looked up in surprise. “Weren’t the two of you just sitting… Jason, why is your sword drawn?”

The Doctor quickly explained what had happened.

“Oh, dear,” Chiron murmured. “That does explain a lot.”

“Then why don’t you explain a lot to me?” Jason demanded. “Please.”

Before anyone could respond, footsteps reverberated on the porch outside. The front door blew open and Annabeth and a familiar redheaded girl burst in, dragging Piper between them. Piper’s head lolled, unconscious.

“What happened?” The Doctor demanded.

“Hera’s cabin,” Annabeth gasped. “Vision. Bad.” The familiar redheaded girl looked up, it looked as though she’d been crying.

“I think…” She gulped. “I think I may have killed her.”


	5. Stolen Memories

The Doctor helped the redhead girl (who had introduced herself to Jason as Rachel) place Piper down on the sofa.

“She’s not dead,” The Doctor assured Rachel as he monitored her pulse. “A tad jumpy, but she’ll be all right.” He placed his hand on her forehead. “Her mind is in a fragile state, though…” He looked up. “What happened?”

“I wish I knew,” Rachel said. “As soon as I got to camp, I had a premonition about Hera’s cabin. I went inside. Annabeth and Piper came in while I was there. We talked, and then – I just blanked out. Annabeth said I spoke in a different voice.”

“A prophecy, then.” The Doctor reasoned.

“No. The spirit of Delphi comes within. I know how that feels.” Rachel said, “This was like long distance, a power trying to speak through me.”

Annabeth ran in with a leather pouch, kneeling beside Piper. “What happened back there – I’ve never seen anything like it. I’ve heard Rachel’s prophecy voice. This was different. This sounded like an older woman. She grabbed Piper’s shoulders and told her –”

“To free her from a prison?” Jason guessed.

Annabeth stared at him. “How did you know that?”

“He got a prophecy too.”

The Doctor explained what had happened with Jason.

“So does this happen often?” Jason asked. “Supernatural phone calls from convicts demanding you bust them out of jail?”

“Your patron,” Annabeth said. “Not your godly parent?”

“No, she said  _ patron. _ ” Jason affirmed. “She also said my dad had given her my life.”

Annabeth frowned. “I’ve never heard of anything like that before. You said the storm spirit on the skywalk – he claimed to be working for some mistress who was giving him orders, right? Could it be this woman you saw, messing with your mind?”

“I don’t think so,” Jason said. “If she were my enemy, why would hse be asking for my help? She’s imprisoned. She’s worried about some enemy getting more powerful. Something about a king rising from the earth on the solstice –”

“Not Kronos,” Annabeth begged Chiron. “Please tell me it’s not that.”

The centaur looked miserable, but did say. “It’s not Kronos. That threat is ended. But…”

“But what?” The Doctor demanded.

Chiron closed the medicine bag he’d retrieved for Piper. “Piper needs rest. We should discuss this later.”

“Chiron, I need to know.” The Doctor demanded.

“Oh,” Rachel said in a small voice. “Oh, dear. The woman was Hera. Of course. Her cabin. Her voice. She showed herself to Jason and the Doctor at the same moment – how come you didn’t recognize her?”

Rachel looked at the Doctor in confusion.

“Long story,” The Doctor said, “If that was Hera’s voice, this means that someone’s imprisoned her.

Annabeth crossed her arms. “Well, whoever they are, maybe we should thank them. If they can shut up Hera –”

“Annabeth,” Chiron warned, “She is still one of the Olympians. In many ways, she is the glue that holds the gods’ family together. If she truly has been imprisoned and is in danger of destruction, this could shake the foundations of the world. It could unravel the stability of Olympus, which is never great even in the best of times. And if Hera has asked Jason for help –”

“Fine,” Annabeth grumbled. “Well, we know Titans can capture a god, right? Atlas captured Artemis a few years ago. And in the old stories, the gods captured each other in traps all the time. But something worse than a Titan…?”

“Hera said she’d been trying to break through her prison bonds for a month,” Jason pointed out.

“Which is how long Olympus has been closed,” Annabeth said. “So the gods must know something bad is going on.”

“Olympus has been closed?” The Doctor asked. 

Annabeth nodded. “Starting about a month ago, Olympus fell silent. The entrance closed. No one could get in, and no one knows why. It’s like the gods have sealed themselves off. Even my mom won’t answer my prayers, and Mr. D was recalled.” She sighed. “Demigods still get claimed, but other than that, there’s nothing. No messages, no visits, no sign that they’re even listening. I think something bad’s happened. Something really bad.”

“You think it’s got something to do with Percy, Jason, and I?” The Doctor asked.

“It must do. This can’t be a coincidence.”

“But why?” The Doctor asked. “I mean, yeah, Jason’s clearly powerful, but what’s so special about him? And why would I let her wipe my memory?”

“She wiped your memory?” Rachel gasped.

“Yeah, but the important part is that I  _ let  _ her.” The Doctor said. “I don’t approve of most of the things that the gods do, but I wouldn’t have let her if there wasn’t a good reason. A  _ really  _ good reason.”

Annabeth fixed her eyes on Chiron. “Why are you so quiet, Chiron? What is it we’re facing?”

The old centaur’s face was lined with worry. “My dear, in this, I cannot help you. I am so sorry.”

Annabeth blinked. “You’ve never…you’ve  _ never  _ kept information from me. Even the last great prophecy –”

“I will be in my office.” His voice was heavy. “I need some time to think before dinner. Rachel, will you watch the girl? Call Argus to bring her to the infirmary, if you’d like. And Annabeth, you should speak with Jason. Tell him about – about the Greek and Roman gods.”

“But…” The centaur turned his wheelchair and rolled off down the corridor. Annabeth’s eyes turned stormy. She cursed in Greek.

“I’m sorry,” Jason said. “I think my being here – I don’t know. I’ve messed things up coming to the camp somehow. Chiron said he’d sworn an oath and couldn’t talk about it.”

“What oath?” Annabeth demanded. “I’ve never seen him act this way. And why would he tell me to talk to you about gods…” Her eyes were drawn to Jason’s sword that was resting on the coffee table. She touched the blade gingerly.

“Is this gold?” She asked. “Do you remember where you got it?”

“No,” Jason said, getting frustrated, “Like I said, I don’t remember anything.”

Annabeth nodded in determination. “If Chiron won’t help, we’ll need to figure things out ourselves. Doctor, do you think you could…?” She gestured her two fingers towards her temples.

The Doctor shrugged. “I can try.”

“Hold on,” Jason said. “What’s the Doctor going to do?”

Annabeth stood up. “With any luck, he’ll get your memory back.”

The Doctor sat Jason down, placing his fingers on the boy’s head and delving into his mind. “Right, if there’s anything you don’t want me to see, just imagine a door and close it. I won’t look.”

“Holy crap, dude, you’re in my head! How are you in my head?”

“I’ll explain in a minute, just, I’m trying to find…” he looked around. 

“What is it?” Annabeth asked. “What did you find?”

“That’s just it,” The Doctor murmured, “There’s nothing here.”

“Doctor…”

“There’s Nothing buried, nothing suppressed…

“Doctor…”

“It’s as if they’ve been stolen completely…”

“Doctor…”

“What?”

“Who’s Rose?”

“What?” The Doctor dropped his hands, severing the link, and staring at Jason.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…It’s just…”

“Rose…That’s the girl that the Sirens showed us, right?” Annabeth started, then seemed to remember that the Doctor couldn’t. “Sorry.”

“It’s fine,” The Doctor said, dismissing it with the wave of his hand. “It’s fine.”

“So, you think the memories were stolen?” Rachel asked.

“I know they were.” The Doctor said, spinning around, “Because if they were there, I would’ve been able to see them.”

“And what about you?” Annabeth asked, “Do you think your memories have been stolen too?”

“Nah,” The Doctor shook frowned. “See, I’ve got these bits and pieces, reminders of what I’ve seen. I remembered your name, Annabeth, and I remembered that Percy was son of Posiedon. So the memories are  _ there _ , they’re just hidden. Hidden from even me.”

“So, my memories have been stolen,” Jason said, “How?”

“A god probably. They’re always messing about with half-bloods.”

“It was Juno.” Jason said. “I just know it is.”

“Why do you keep using the Roman names?” Annabeth demanded.

“Why do you care?” Jason shot back.

“No, Annabeth, Juno is not the same as Hera. That transition from Greek to Roman, that didn’t just change names. For many gods, their appearances changed, their attributes changed, their entire personalities.”

“But…” Annabeth faltered. “Okay, so many people saw them differently through the centuries. That doesn’t change who they are.”

“Oh, come on, Annabeth, you’re a clever girl, think about it.” The Doctor began to pace, “the gods are very dependent on the beliefs of the humans. They reflect their host cultures; today, Zeus likes tailored suits, reality telly, Chinese food. You think that was the same as it was a thousand years ago? They’re always changing, always shifting form. The Roman Empire was a very violent place – I should know, I nearly got executed a half dozen times – and so the Roman gods are more violent. More war-like.”

“Makes sense,” Jason said. 

Annabeth shook her head, mystified.

“So, if Juno took your memory, she’s the only one who can give it back.” The Doctor said. 

“That’s not good.” Annabeth murmured.

“That’s very not good.” The Doctor agreed.


	6. The New Prophecy

The Doctor didn’t see Piper again until the campfire. Jason and Annabeth were sitting towards the front of the fire, Leo nearby with the rest of the Hephaestus campers. The Doctor was standing at the back, watching from afar when Piper joined him. Standing in the front of the fire, a half dozen campers with guitars and lyres were jumping about, leading a song about pieces of armor. The Doctor watched as Piper kept her eyes on the fire. It was almost in fear. He knew that look – the look of someone who was reminded of a memory.

The Doctor handed her a small cube.

Piper looked at it cautiously, then put it in her mouth.

“Woah, what’s that?”

“It’s a sweet from Zom, loads of citrus there.”

“It tastes like…Like pineapple but –”

“But a little blue-er.”

She laughed, “Why’d you give this to me?”

“You really want to know?”

“Yeah.”

He pointed at the fire, “That was bothering you. It was reminding you of something, and so this,” He gestured to the sweet in her mouth, “Is a distraction.”

“Oh.” Piper hesitated. “Do you do that a lot?”

“Do you?”

She shook her head, “No…I – I just had a dream.”

“Want to talk about it?”

She shook her head.

“Very nice!” Chiron called from the front. “And a special welcome to our new arrivals. I am Chiron, camp activities director, and I’m happy you have all arrived here alive and most of your limbs attached.”

“Is that a common problem here?” Piper whispered to the Doctor, who shrugged.

“In a moment, I promise we’ll get to the s’mores, but first –”

“What about capture the flag?” A camper yelled. Grumbling broke out amongst some of the campers in armor who were sitting under the Ares banner.

“Yes,” Chiron said. “I know the Ares cabin is anxious to return to the woods for our regular games.”

“And kill people!” One of them shouted. 

“However,” Chiron said, “until the dragon is brought under control, that won’t be possible. Cabin Nine, anything to report on that?”

He turned to Leo’s cabin. A girl next to him looked uncomfortable as she stood up.

“We’re working on it.”

There was more grumbling.

“How, Nyssa?” An Ares camper demanded.

“Really hard.” The girl said.

She sat down to loads of yelling and complaining, causing the fire to sputter chaotically.

Chiron stamped his hoof against the fire pit stones and the campers fell silent.

“We will be patient,” Chiron said. “In the meantime, we have more pressing matters to discuss.”

“Percy?” Someone asked. The fire dimmed even further.

Chiron gestured to Annabeth. She took a deep breath and stood. “I didn’t find Percy,” she announced. Her voice caught slightly when she said his name. “He wasn’t at the Grand Canyon like I thought. But we’re not giving up. We’ve got teams everywhere; Grover, Tyson, Nico, the Hunters of Artemis – everyone’s out looking. And now we’ve found the Doctor too. We  _ will  _ find him. Chiron’s talking about something different. A new quest.”

“It’s the Great Prophecy, isn’t it?” A girl called out.

Everyone turned. The voice had come from the back of the room. Drew stood up.

Everyone looked surprised, it seemed that Drew was not often one to contribute to such a conversation.

“Drew?” Annabeth said. “What do you mean?”

“Well,  _ come on _ .” Drew spread her hands as though it were obvious. “Olympus is closed. Percy’s disappeared. Hera sends you a vision and you come back with three new demigods and the Doctor, all in one day. I mean, something weird is going on. The Great Prophecy has started, right?”

“What’s she talking about – the Great Prophecy?” Piper whispered.

The Doctor shrugged.

“Well?” Drew called down to Rachel. “You’re the oracle. Has it started or not?”

Rachel stepped forth calmly and addressed the camp.

“Yes,” she said. “The Great Prophecy has begun.”

Pandemonium broke out. The Doctor saw Jason catch Piper’s eye.  _ You all right?  _ He mouthed. She nodded.

Once the talking finally subsided, Rachel took another step towards the audience.

“For those of you who have not heard it,” Rachel said, “The Great Prophecy was my first prediction. It arrived in August. It goes like this:

_ “Seven half-bloods shall answer the call _

_ To storm or fire the world must fall –” _

Jason shot to his feet, his eyes wild.

“J-Jason?” She said. “What’s –”

_ “An oath to keep with a final breath _

_ And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death.” _

Jason finished in Latin.

The Doctor watched as several half-bloods began attempting to translate his lines.

“You just…finished the prophecy,” Rachel stammered, repeating the lines in English. “How did you –”

“I know those lines.” Jason winced, putting his hand to his temples. “I don’t know how, but I  _ know  _ that prophecy.”

“In Latin, no less,” Drew called out. “Handsome  _ and  _ smart.” 

There was some giggling from the Aphrodite cabin. 

The campfire was turning a chaotic, anxious shade of green.

Jason sat down, looking embarrassed. 

Rachel still looked shaken. She glanced back at Chiron for guidance, but the centaur stood grim and silent.

“Well,” Rachel said, attempting to regain her composure. “So, yeah, that’s the great Prophecy. We hoped it might not happen for years, but I fear it’s starting now. I can’t give you proof. It’s just a feeling. And like Drew said, some weird stuff is happening. The seven demigods, whoever they are, have not been gathered yet. I get the feeling some are here tonight. Some are not here.”

The campers began to stir and mutter, looking at each other nervously, until a drowsy voice in the crowd called out, “I’m here! Oh…were you calling roll?”

“Go back to sleep, Clovis!” Someone yelled, and a few campers laughed.

“Anyway,” Rachel continued, “We don’t know what the Great Prophecy means. We don’t know what challenge the demigods will face, but since the  _ first  _ Great Prophecy predicted the Titan War, we can guess the  _ second  _ Great Prophecy will predict something at least that bad.”

“Or worse,” Chiron murmured. 

The campfire immediately turned a deep purple.

“What we  _ do  _ know,” Rachel said, “Is that the first phase has begun. A major problem has arisen, and we need a quest to solve it. Hera, the queen of the gods, has been taken.”

There was a shocked silence. And then an explosion of chatter.

Chiron pounded his hoof again and the chatter trickled down.

Rachel then told them about Piper’s collapse in Hera’s cabin. From the back, Drew pretended to faint, her friends giggling.

Finally, Rachel told them of what Jason and the Doctor had seen, the message that Hera had delivered.

“Jason,” Rachel said, “Um…do you remember your last name?”

Jason looked self-conscious, but he shook his head. “We’ll just call you Jason, then,” Rachel said. “It’s clear Hera herself has issued you a quest.” Rachel paused, as if giving Jason his chance to protest his destiny. Every eye was on him. He took a brave and determined breath and just nodded.

“I agree.”

“You must save Hera to prevent a great evil,” Rachel continued. “Some sort of king from rising. For reasons we don’t yet understand, it must happen by the winter solstice, only four days from now.”  
“That’s the council day of the gods,” Annabeth said. “If the gods don’t _already_ know Hera’s gone, they will definitely notice her absence by then. They’ll probably break out fighting, accusing each other of taking her. That’s what they usually do.”

“The winter solstice,” Chiron spoke up, “Is also the time of great darkness. The gods gather that day, as mortals always have, because there is strength in numbers. The solstice is a day when evil magic is strong.  _ Ancient  _ magic, older than the gods. It is a day when things…stir.”

“Okay,” Annabeth said, glaring at the centaur. “Thank you, Captain Sunshine. Whatever’s going on, I agree with Rachel. Jason has been chosen to lead this quest, so –”

“Why hasn’t he been claimed?” Someone from the Ares cabin shouted. “If he’s important –”

“He has been claimed,” Chiron announced. “Long ago, Jason, give them a demonstration.”

Initially, Jason didn’t seem to quite understand. He stepped froth anxiously, glancing at Piper. Piper seemed to understand though, mimicking flipping a coin.

Jason reached into his pocket. His coin flashed in the air, and when he caught it in his hand, he was holding not a sword, but a lance – a rod of gold about two meters long with a spear tip at one end.

The other demigods gasped. Rachel and Annabeth stepped back to avoid the point.

“Wasn’t that…” Annabeth hesitated. “I thought you had a sword.”

“Um, it came up tails, I think.” Jason said. “Same coin, long range weapon form.”

“Dude, I want one!” Someone from the Ares cabin yelled. 

“Better than Clarisse’s electric spear, Lamer!” One of his brothers agreed.

“Electric,” Jason murmured, as though that were a brilliant idea. “Back away.”

Annabeth and Rachel got the message and hurried away.

Jason raised his javelin, and thunder broke open the sky, sending lightning arching down through the golden spear point. It hit the campfire with the force of an explosion.

The Doctor flinched, staring through the smoke.

Cinders rained down as the smoke cleared and the camp sat frozen in shock.

The Doctor could see the images of Gallifrey that were seared in his mind. The ashes rained down. 

“Doctor?” Piper called in the distance. “Doctor?”

“I –” Everything was burning. The Doctor stumbled back.

“Doctor.” Piper grabbed his arm as he slid to the ground.

She sat next to him, placing a mint in his hand.

“What…?” He looked up at her, trying to see through the fog of panic that was draped over his mind.

“I – I don’t have sweets or anything…but I thought…” She shrugged uncomfortably.

The Doctor smiled softly, popping the mint in his mouth.

“Thanks.”

He closed his eyes, rearranging his mind as Jason said.

“Um…sorry.”

“A little overkill, perhaps, but you’ve made your point. And I believe we know who your father is.” Chiron said blandly.

“Jupiter,” Jason said. “I mean Zeus. Lord of the sky.”

The Doctor opened his eyes to see Piper smiling at Jason.

The rest of the camp did not seem all that convinced, erupting into chaos.

“Hold it!” Annabeth shouted, raising her arms. “How can he be the son of Zeus? The Big Three…their pact not to have mortal kids…how could we not have known about him sooner?”

Chiron didn’t answer, but the Doctor could tell that he knew. And the truth did not look good.

“The important thing,” Rachel said, “Is that Jason’s here now. He has a quest to fulfil, which means he will need his own prophecy.”

She closed her eyes and swooned. Two campers rushed forth and caught her. A third ran to the side of the amphitheatre and grabbed a bronze three-legged stool. They eased Rachel onto the stool in front of the ruined hearth. Without the fire, the night was dark, but the green mist swirled around her feet. When she opened her eyes, they were a vibrant, glowing green. Emerald smoke issued from her mouth. The voice that came from her mouth was raspy and ancient:

_ “Child of lightning, beware the earth, _

_ The giant’s revenge the seven shall birth _

_ The forge and dove shall break the cage _

_ And death unleash through Hera’s rage.” _

On the last word, Rachel collapsed, but her helpers were waiting to catch her. They carried her away from the hearth and laid her in the corner to rest.

“Is that normal?” Piper asked, then appeared to realize she’d spoken into the silence and every half-blood in the amphitheatre was staring at her. “I mean…does she spew green smoke a lot?”

“Oh, gods, you’re dense!” Drew sneered. “She just issued a prophecy – Jason’s prophecy to save Hera! Why don’t you just –”

“Oi! Did you know about prophecies when you first came?” The Doctor shouted. “She asked a valid question!”

“If breaking Hera’s cage unleashes her rage and causes a bunch of death…” Annabeth said thoughtfully, “Why would we free her? It might be a trap, or – or maybe Hera will turn on her rescuers. She’s never been kind to heroes.”

Jason rose. “I don’t have much choice. Hera took my memory. I need it back. Besides, we can’t just  _ not  _ help the queen of the heavens if she’s in trouble.”

A girl from Hephaestus stood – Nyssa. “Maybe. But you should listen to Annabeth. Hera can be vengeful. She threw her own son – our dad – down a mountain just because he was ugly.”

_ “Real  _ ugly.” Someone from the Aphrodite cabin snickered.

“Shut up!” Nyssa growled. “Anyway, we’ve also got to think – why beware the earth? And what’s the giants’ revenge? What are we dealing with here that’s powerful enough to kidnap the queen of the heavens?”

No one answered, but the Doctor watched as Annabeth had a silent conversation with Chiron, going something like:

Annabeth:  _ The giants’ revenge…no, it can’t be. _

Chiron:  _ Don’t speak of it here. Don’t scare them. _

Annabeth:  _ You’re kidding me! We can’t be  _ that  _ unlucky. _

Chiron:  _ Later, child. If you told them everything, they would be too terrified to proceed. _

Annabeth took a deep breath. “It’s Jason’s quest,” she announced. “So it’s Jason’s choice. Obviously, he’s the child of lightning. According to tradition, he may choose any two companions.”

“Well, not necessarily,” The Doctor rose to his feet. “In Hera’s conversation with Jason and I, she made it quite clear that I was Jason’s protector. But in the third line of the prophecy, it says  _ ‘The forge and dove shall break the cage.’ _ Well, the forge is a symbol for Hephaestus, and the dove is for Aphrodite.”

Beneath the Cabin Nine banner, Nyssa’s shoulders slumped. “If you have to beware the earth,” she said, “you should avoid traveling overland. You’ll need air transport. The flying chariot’s broken, and the pegasi, we’re using them to search for Percy. But maybe Hephaestus cabin can help figure out something else to help. With Jake incapacitated, I’m senior camper. I can volunteer for the quest.”

She didn’t sound all that enthusiastic.

Then Leo stood. “It’s me,” he said. His cabinmates stirred and several attempted to pull him back to his seat, but Leo resisted. “No, it’s me. I know it is. I’ve got an idea for the transportation problem. Let me try. I can fix this!”

Jason studied him for a moment, and then he smiled. “We started this together, Leo. Seems only right you come along. You find us a ride, you’re in.”

“Yes!” Leo pumped his fist.

“It’ll be dangerous,” Nyssa warned. “Hardship, monsters, terrible suffering. Possibly none of you will come back alive.”

“Oh.” Leo didn’t look so excited, then he appeared to remember that everyone was watching. “I mean…Oh, cool! Suffering? I love suffering! Let’s do this.”

Annabeth nodded. “Then, Jason, you only need to choose the third quest member. The dove –”

“Oh, absolutely!” Drew was on her feet and flashing Jason a smile. “I’m  _ totally  _ yours.”

Piper’s hands were clenched. She stepped forth. “No.”

Drew rolled her eyes. “Oh, please, Dumpster girl. Back off.”

_ “I  _ had the vision of Hera, not you. I have to do this.”

“Anyone can have a vision,” Drew said. “You were just at the right place at the right time.” She turned to Jason. “Look, fighting is all fine, I suppose. And people who build things…” She looked at Leo in disdain. “Well, I suppose someone has to get their hands dirty. But you need  _ charm  _ on your side. I can be very persuasive. I could help a lot.”

The campers began murmuring about how Drew  _ was  _ quite persuasive. Even Chiron was scratching his beard in agreement.

“Well…” Annabeth said. “Given the wording of the prophecy –”

“No!” Piper shouted. “I’m supposed to go.”

And then, strangely, everyone began to nod, agreeing. Drew looked around, incredulous. Even some of her own campers were nodding.

“Oh, Piper, you’re brilliant.” The Doctor grinned.

“Get over it!” Drew snapped at the crowd. “What can Piper do?”

Piper’s confidence appeared to wane. She said nothing.

“Well?” Drew said smugly. “I guess that settles it.”

There was a gasp, and the Doctor watched as Piper began to glow a reddish colour, and she was suddenly adorned in a lovely white sleeveless gown that went down to her ankles with a deep v-neck. Delicate golden armbands circled her biceps and an intricate necklace of amber, coral, and golden flowers glittered on her chest. Her hair was lush, long, and a deep brown, braided with golden ribbons down to one side so it fell across her shoulder. She was wearing subtle touches of makeup, making her lips a cherry red and brought out the many colours of her eyes.

“Oh, god,” Piper said, looking down at her outfit. “What’s happened?”

A stunned Annabeth pointed towards Piper’s dagger, which was now oiled and gleaming, hanging at her side on a golden cord. She drew it and examined her reflection.

“Beautiful,” Jason exclaimed. “Piper, you…you’re a knockout.”

Drew’s face was full of horror and revulsion. “No!” She cried. “Not possible!”

“This isn’t me,” Piper protested in terror. “I – I don’t understand.”  
Chiron folded his front legs and bowed to her, and all the campers followed his example.

“Hail, Piper McLean,” Chiron announced gravely. “Daughter of Aphrodite, lady of the doves, the goddess of love.”


	7. Cabin One

As the rest of the camp retired for the night, Jason ran over to Piper. “So…Do you want to come on the quest?” He asked. 

“Yeah, yeah I do.” She agreed. Piper then shivered, rubbing her arms. “Aphrodite took my snowboarding jacket,” She muttered. “Mugged by my own mom.”

Jason ran down to the first row of the amphitheatre to pick up a blanket and ran it back over to her and wrapped it around her shoulders.

“We’ll get you a new jacket,” Jason promised.

“You usually stayed in the Poseidon cabin,” Annabeth explained on their walk back to the cabins. “You would help Percy with his dreams…” She hesitated. “I mean, you’re welcome to stay there, but…”

She didn’t finish, shaking her head. “You’re welcome to stay wherever.”

She made her way towards the Athena cabin.

The Doctor paused, casting his eyes around at the collection of cabins.

“You can stay with me. If you want, I mean.” Jason said awkwardly.

The Doctor shrugged. “I don’t see why not.”

Cabin One had a dome-shaped ceiling that was decorated with moving mosaics of a cloudy sky and bolts of lightning. In the center of the room was a three meter tall statue of Zeus in a Greek chiton. Interestingly enough, there was no furniture. Just a few cots.

“I have to admit, it’s a lot nicer to be in here with someone than alone.” Jason said. He began to examine the statue of Zeus.

He was silent for a long time, before Jason said,

“I don’t look anything like him.”

The Doctor studied the statue.

“Yes, well, this is just Zeus, isn’t it? Not Jupiter.”

“Yeah…” Jason said. He plopped down on one of the cots.

“Get some sleep,” The Doctor encouraged, smiling faintly, “You humans need  _ so  _ much sleep.”

“Why do you keep calling us humans? You say that like you’re not?”

“Very observant of you.”

“Are you…” Jason stared at him. “I mean, Dylan called you a god…”

The Doctor laughed shortly. “I’m not a god, no. I’m alien.”

Jason laughed, then seemed to realize that the Doctor wasn’t joking.

“Are you serious?”

“Yep.” The Doctor said, popping the ‘p’.

“Really?”

“Yep.”

“Holy shi– How did – What?” He took a deep breath. “You’re from space?”

The Doctor grinned.

“Nope. Nope. I’m gonna go to bed.”

Jason had nightmares all night. He didn’t cry out or speak in his sleep, but the Doctor could feel the brainwaves echoing throughout the otherwise silent room.

Finally, he arose, stretching his body.

“How’d you sleep?” He asked.

“I didn’t.” The Doctor said.

“Oh…”

There was a long pause.

“Annabeth said you helped Percy Jackson with his dreams, right?”

“Probably.” The Doctor said, “I don’t remember doing it.” He raised an eyebrow, “Are you having nightmares?”

Jason nodded sheepishly.

The Doctor nodded, sitting down on the cot beside him. “Go on, then.”

Jason took a deep breath. “I was in the middle of this redwood forest, in a clearing. And in front of me rose these ruins of a stone mansion. There were these – these grey beasts that were snarling and baring their teeth, but like, it wasn’t at me, you know? They were trying to get me to go toward the ruins. And I didn’t want to, but I didn’t want to get eaten, so I went over. And there was this, this pool, I dunno how deep it was, ‘cause it was full of mist. At the other side of the pool was Lupa, and she was _huge_ – like she had to be at least eight feet tall.”  
“Lupa?”

“Yeah, I dunno how I knew, I just did.” Jason shrugged. “But the thing is, I  _ knew  _ where I was. Well, I don’t know where it was, but I knew that I knew it, if that makes sense?”

The Doctor nodded, indicating for him to go on.

“Lupa, she didn’t speak or anything, but I could understand her…”

“And what did she tell you?”

“She told me that this was where I’d begun my journey as a ‘pup’, and that I need to find my way back. ‘A new quest, a new start.’ And I told her, I told her it wasn’t fair, but she told me to conquer or die. That ‘this is always our way.’ I didn’t know what to do, so I asked her to guide me, and then, these two spires erupted from the floor and came together at the top. But they weren’t identical, you know? The one near me was darker, like a solid mass, and was all fused together, but on Lupa’s end, there was this prison and Hera was inside, trying to get out. Lupa told me that this place had been chosen by the enemy, that it would awaken the giant king, who was her most powerful son.  _ Our  _ sacred place, where demigods are claimed. She said it’s a place of life and death. Then she said, ‘The burned house. The house of the wolf. It is an abomination. You must stop her.’”

“I take it you don’t know what any of that means?”

Jason shook his head.

“Me neither…” The Doctor ran his hands through his hair. “Did she say anything else?”

“Uh, yeah.” Jason said. “She told me to use my senses, that some enemy is waking, and if she does it’ll be the end for everyone. She said that I know this place, which means I can find it again, and to – to cleanse our house. To stop it before it’s too late.”

The Doctor rubbed his eyes. “Are you sure that was all she said.”

Jason hesitated, and then nodded.

“You’re welcome to help.” He said to the statue of Zeus. The statue said nothing. “Thanks Pops.” He muttered.

The Doctor turned around, only for something to catch his eye. A brazier had been moved out from one of the alcoves in the wall to create a sleeping nook with a bedroom, a rucksack, and some pictures taped on the wall.

The Doctor made his way over. The rucksack was covered in dust, unused for a long time. Some of the photos one taped onto the wall had fallen to the floor with time.

He knelt down. One of the pictures revealed Annabeth, looking maybe eight years old. She was standing next to a familiar sandy-haired boy, about fourteen or fifteen years old with a mischievous smile and ragged leather armor over a T-shirt. He was pointing to an alley behind them. The second photo showed Annabeth and the same boy sitting at a campfire, laughing hysterically.

Finally, the Doctor picked up one of the fallen pictures. It was a strip of photos from a photo booth. Annabeth with the sandy-haired boy, but with another between her. She was fifteen, or just about so, with choppy black hair, a black leather jacket and silvery jewelry. She was caught mid-laugh.

“That’s Thalia.”

The Doctor spun around. Annabeth was standing behind him, her expression sad. She looked at the floor.

“Sorry, I should’ve knocked.”

“Did I – did I know her?”

“Yeah,” Annabeth said. 

“And is she…?”

“A Hunter now.” Annabeth said, clearing her throat. “She’s fine.”

“Good, good.” The Doctor stood. Annabeth was dressed for travel in a winter jacket over her camp clothes, her knife at her belt, and a rucksack across her shoulder. “You sure you don’t want to come?”

She shook her head. “No, Hera hates me.” She sighed. “And I’ve got to find Percy.”

“I’m sure you’ll find him.”

“I sure hope so.” She looked over to Jason. “You all right?”

He was looking relatively anxious.

“Yeah, I just…had a dream.”

Annabeth gave the Doctor an expectant look. He glanced at Jason, who shrugged and described the dream again.

“You don’t remember where this house is?” Annabeth asked Jason, who shook his head.

“But I’m sure I’ve been there before.”

“Redwoods,” She mused. “Could be northern California. And the she-wolf…I’ve studied goddesses, spirits, and monsters my whole life. I’ve never heard of Lupa.”

“That’s because she’s Roman.” The Doctor said. “She was the caretaker of Remus and Romulus.”

“She said the enemy was a ‘her.’” Jason said. “I thought maybe it was Hera, but –”

“I wouldn’t trust Hera, but don’t I think she’s the enemy,” Annabeth admitted. “And that thing rising out of the earth –” Her expression darkened. “You’ve got to stop it.”  
“You know what it is.” The Doctor said. It wasn’t a question.

“I’ve got my guess,” Annabeth said.

“But you won’t tell me.”

“No.”

“Why not?” The Doctor demanded. “Why are you keeping it from me.”

“Because you said yourself, Doctor,” Annabeth sighed, “You allowed for your memory to be lost. You must have had a good meaning, and if you don’t know, maybe you’re not supposed to.”

“Fine.” The Doctor began to pace, thinking.

“But we don’t even know where to start.” Jason said, “Where are we supposed to go?”

“Follow the monsters,” Annabeth suggested. 

“Okay,” Jason said thoughtfully, “How do we find storm winds?”

“Personally, I’d ask the wind god.” Annabeth said. “Aeolus is the master of all the winds, but he’s a little…unpredictable. No one finds him unless he wants to be found. I’d try one of the four seasonal wind gods that work for Aeolus. The nearest one, the one who has the most dealings with heroes, is Boreas, the North Wind.”

“So if I looked him up on Google maps –”

“Oh, he’s not hard to find,” Annabeth promised. “He settled in North America like all the other gods. So of course he picked the oldest northern settlement, about as far north as you can go.”

“Maine?” Jason guessed.

“Farther.”

“Canada.”

“Quebec.” Annabeth smiled. “I hope you speak French.”

Jason examined the photographs that the Doctor had been looking at. “Thalia…How old is she now?”

“Hard to say,” Annabeth said. “She was a tree for a while. Now she’s immortal.”

“What?” Jason’s face was one of complete shock.

Annabeth laughed. “Don’t worry. It’s not something all children of Zeus go through. It’s a long story, but…well, she was out of commission for a long time. If she’d aged regularly, she’d be in her twenties now, but she still looks the same as in that picture, like she’s about…well, about your age. Fifteen or sixteen?”

She looked at the Doctor for confirmation, but quickly turned around.

“What was her last name?”

Annabeth looked uneasy. “Why?”

“I don’t know, something Lupa said…”

“She didn’t use a last name, really.” Annabeth said, “If she had to, she’d use her mom’s, but they didn’t get along. Thalia ran away when she was pretty young.”

Jason waited.

“Grace.” Annabeth said. “Thalia Grace.”

Jason froze, the photo fluttering to the floor.

“Jason?” The Doctor asked. “Jason, what’s wrong?”

“You have to swear not to tell anyone else,” He said. “Both of you.”

“Jason –” Annabeth said, but he continued to urge,

“Swear it. Until I figure out what’s going on, what this all means – You have to keep a secret.”

Annabeth hesitated. “All right. Until you tell me it’s okay. I won’t share what you say with anyone else. I swear on the River Styx.”

“Doctor?”

“I swear.”

Jason closed his eyes. “My last name is Grace.” He said. “This is my sister.”

Annabeth turned pale. The Doctor could see the emotions brewing in her eyes. There was dismay, disbelief, anger. She thought he was lying.

It was then that the cabin burst open and a half dozen campers spilled in, led by Butch.

“Hurry!” He said, though whether it was excitement or fear, the Doctor wasn’t sure. “The dragon is back.”


	8. Festus the Dragon

The campers ran outside to where Leo was sitting atop a massive bronze dragon, grinning like mad. 

“Don’t kill me!” The satyrs screamed in terror.

“It’s cool!” Leo yelled. “Don’t shoot!”

Hesitantly, the archers lowered their bows. The warriors backed away, but kept their spears and swords up. They made a loose wide ring around the metal beast. No one appeared all that anxious to approach. 

“Oh, he’s gorgeous.” The Doctor grinned, making his way towards the dragon.

Leo calmly slid off the dragon’s back, holding up his hands in surrender.

“People of Earth, I come in peace!”

His army coat and face were smeared with soot and grease, and around his waist was a new tool belt. His eyes were bloodshot and sleepless.

“Festus is just saying hello!”

“That thing is dangerous!” A girl from the Ares cabin shouted, brandishing her spear.

“Oh, he’s not dangerous, are you, boy.” The Doctor rubbed the dragon behind the ears.

“Kill it now!” Another Ares camper said.

“Stand down!”

The Doctor turned to see Jason, pushing through the crowd, flanked by Annabeth and Nyssa. Piper made her way over from the direction of the Aphrodite cabin, her face full of amazement, not an ounce of fear.

“Leo, what have you done?” Jason asked.

“Found a ride!” Leo beamed. “You said I could go on the quest if I got you a ride. Well, I got you a class-A metallic flying bad boy! Festus can take us anywhere.”

“It – has wings,” Nyssa stammered.

“10/10 for observation.”

“Yeah, I found them and reattached them.” Leo said.

“But it never had wings. Where did you find them?”

Leo hesitated. “In…the woods,” He said. “Repaired his circuits, too, mostly, so no more problems with him going haywire.”

“Mostly?” Nyssa asked. Festus’s head twitched, tilting to one side and a stream of black liquid poured from his ear, all over Leo.

“Just a few kinks to work out,” Leo assured him.

“But how did you survive…?” Nyssa was still staring in awe at the dragon before her.

“I mean, the fire breath…”

“I’m quick,” Leo shrugged. “And lucky. Now, am I on this quest or what?”

Jason scratched his head. “YOu named him Festus? You know that in Latin, ‘festus’ means ‘happy’? You want us to ride off to save the world on Happy the Dragon?”

The dragon twitched and shuttered, flapping his wings.

“That’s a yes, bro!” Leo said. “Now, um, I’d really suggest we get going, guys. I already picked up some supplies in the – um, in the woods. And all these people with weapons are making Festus nervous.”

“Rightfully so,” The Doctor said, rubbing his hand down Festus’s snout. “What have those nasty humans done to you, eh? Yeah, I know.”

“But we haven’t planned anything yet.” Jason protested.

“Oh, who needs a plan?” The Doctor grinned. “I never have a plan.”

Annabeth gave a snort that told him that she had found out the hard way. “You should go.” She said. “You’ve only got three days until the solstice now, and you should never keep a nervous dragon waiting. This is certainly a good omen. Go!”

Jason nodded, then smiled at Piper. “You ready?”

Piper smiled. “You bet.”   
  


The dragon took off, sending them soaring into the air. The wind was cold, but Festus’s metal hide generated plenty of heat. The grooves on his back seemed specifically designed for saddles, and so the seats were slipped into comfortably. Leo showed how to hook their feet into the chinks of the armor, using the leather safety harness that was cleverly concealed under the exterior plating. They sat single file, Leo in the front, the Doctor right behind, then came Piper, and Jason sat in the back, clutching the photo of Thalia.

Leo steered them through the sky, and soon the coast of Long Island was far behind them.

Leo grinned back at them. “Cool, right?”  
“It’s brilliant,” The Doctor grinned, “And you did a brilliant job on him.”

“Thanks, man.” Leo smiled proudly.

“What happens if we get spotted?” Piper asked.

“Oh, no one will notice,” The Doctor said, “Humans don’t see what they don’t want to see. They’ll just think this is a small airplane.”

“You sure about that?” Piper asked, unsure.

“You would be too if you know just how many times the world nearly ended because of an alien invasion, and yet you silly humans still don’t believe in them.”

_ “What?” _

“What?” The Doctor looked at the others innocently.

“You’re insane.” Leo breathed out.

“Just a tad, yeah.”

“So you’re actually an alien?” Jason asked. “Like, for real?”

“I don’t get how you half-bloods can’t believe this.” The Doctor sighed, “You believe in gods and monsters, but aliens, nope.”

“I…I believe you.” Piper said in a small voice. “I mean, it can’t be any crazier than anything else we’ve come across.”

They flew for a few more minutes before Piper asked,

“So, where are we actually going?”

“To find the god of the North Wind,” Jason answered. “And chase some storm spirits.”


	9. The Tale of Tía Callida

“Shut up, me.” Leo said aloud after a while of traveling.

“What?” Piper was the first to ask.

“Nothing.” He said. “Long night. I think I’m hallucinating. It’s cool.”

“Want me to take the reins for a bit?” The Doctor offered.

“No!” Leo said protectively, “I mean, nah, it’s okay. I got this.”

“Okay…”

“So, what’s the plan, bro?” Leo asked. “You said something about catching wind or breaking wind or something.”

“We’ve got to find Boreas and get some information –”

“His name is  _ Boreas?” _ Leo asked. “What is he, the god of boring?”

“Boreas is god of the North Wind,” The Doctor explained, “He was the one who carried off Oreithyia and wrecked a fleet off Sepias in Thessaly for Athens. Anyways, after that we’ve got to find the venti that attacked us at the Grand Canyon –”

“Can we just call them storm spirits?” Leo asked. “Venti makes them sound like evil espresso drinks.”

“– the storm spirits, then.” The Doctor continued, “And after that we’ve got to find out who the spirits are working for so we can find and free Hera.”

“So you want to look for Dylan, the nasty storm dude,  _ on purpose, _ ” Leo said. “The guy who threw me off the skywalk and sucked Coach Hedge into the clouds.”

“Yep,” The Doctor shrugged.

“And there might be a wolf involved,” Jason pitched in. “But I think she’s friendly. She probably won’t eat us, unless we show weakness.”

He proceeded to tell him about his dream. 

“Uh-huh,” Leo said. “But you don’t know where this place is.”

“Nope.” Jason admitted.

“There’s also giants,” Piper added. “The prophecy said  _ the giants’ revenge. _ ”

“Hold on,” Leo said. “Giants – like more than one? Why can’t it just be one giant who wants revenge?”

“Well, most giants stick together,” The Doctor admitted. “They’re a sort of army.”

“Great,” Leo muttered. “Of course, with our luck, it’s an army. So you know anything else about these giants?”

“There were loads of giants in Greek Mythology,” The Doctor said, “But unless I’m mistaken (which I’m usually not), they’re going to be bad news.”

“How bad?” Leo asked apprehensively.

“Think of the worst thing that could happen and then add another suitcase full of bad.” The Doctor sighed. “Last time I saw them, they were so massive that they could throw mountains. They’re the younger siblings of the Titans. After the first Titan war, they rose up and tried to destroy Olympus.”

“Chiron said it was happening again,” Jason remembered. “The last chapter. That’s what he meant. No wonder he didn’t want us to know all the details.”

Leo whistled. “So…giants who can throw mountains, friendly wolves that will eat us if we show weakness, and evil espresso drinks. Gotcha. Maybe this isn’t the time to bring up my psycho babysitter.”

“Is that another joke?” Piper asked.

“No.” Leo said. “When I was a kid, I had this babysitter, Tía Callida. She’s Hera. I know she is. She tried to kill me. The first time she tried, I was only about two. She was looking after me while my mom was at the machine shop. She set me down for a nap. I went to sleep and had this dream about a boat made of fire, sailing through the cinders. But Tía was sitting in her rocking chair, and she was singing something that wasn’t English or Spanish. And then everything was on fire, and my mom came home and took me – she took me out of the fireplace. But Tía had disappeared.

“But she wasn’t banished or arrested.” Leo sighed. “She would come back. When I was three, she let me play with knives. She told me I had to learn my blades early if I was to be her hero someday. Then when I was four, she found a rattlesnake for me in a nearby cow pasture, and gave me a stick and encouraged me to poke it. But I didn’t poke it. And it went away.

“Then the last time she babysat me, I was five. She brought me this pack of crayons and a pad of paper, and she sat with me and sang her strange songs. I drew a picture of the boat I saw in my dreams, and I signed my name, and the wind snatched it away. I was upset, but Tía said I wasn’t ready yet. That it ‘wasn’t time yet.’ That I’d face many sorrows first. She said that’s the only way to shape a hero. Then she told me to make a fire. A few minutes later and Tía was gone, and my mom came back and everything was on fire.

“Then a few years later, my mom and I were locking up, and she forgot the keys inside, so she went back in to get them, and the door shut behind her, and there was this lady. I thought it was Tía at first, but it wasn’t. It was this lady, but she was sleeping. Like standing and aware, but her eyes were sleeping, and she was like, made of dirt. She told me she couldn’t kill me yet and that she would kill my mom. And I tried to stand in her way, and then – and then the shop collapsed. And my mom was dead.”

The Doctor furrowed his eyebrows. “What’s Hera playing at?”

“Thing is,” Leo said, “everybody says don’t trust Hera. She hates demigods. And the prophecy said we’d cause death if we unleash her rage. So I’m wondering…why are we doing this?”

“She chose us…” The Doctor realized, “Or she chose you. You’re the first three of the seven who’ll have to gather for the Great Prophecy. This quest is the beginning of something bigger.”

“What do you mean?” Piper asked. “Are you not a part of the Great Prophecy too?”

The Doctor shrugged. “Maybe. But it calls for seven half-bloods. I’m not a half-blood.”

“Oh, right.” 

“Hera’s the only way to get my memory back anyway.” Jason said. “And that dark spire in my dream seemed to be feeding on her energy. If that thing unleashes a king of the giants by destroying Hera –”

“That would be very not good.” The Doctor agreed.

“At least Hera is on our side – mostly.” Piper said optimistically. “Losing her would throw the gods into chaos. She’s the main one who keeps peace in the family. ANd a war with the giants could be even more destructive than the Titan War.”

“Chiron also talked about worse forces stirring on the solstice, with it being a good time for dark magic and all,” Jason nodded. “Something that could awaken if Hera were sacrificed on that day. And this mistress who’s controlling the storm spirits, the one who wants to kill all the demigods –”

“Might be that weird sleeping lady,” Leo finished. “Dirt Woman fully awake? Not something I want to see.”

“But who is she?” Jason asked. “And what does she have to do with giants?”

Not even the Doctor had the answer to that one.

They continued to fly through the sky. The Doctor placed a hand on Leo’s trembling shoulder, as he knew better than anyone that it wasn’t from the wind.

Leo sighed, allowing for his shoulders to slump.

“Get some rest.” The Doctor told him.

“Fine.”

The Doctor and Leo managed to carefully switch spots on the dragon and within seconds, Leo was asleep.


	10. The Children of Boreas

By the time they reached Quebec City, Piper had woken Leo up and he and the Doctor had switched back. The city below them was sat on a cliff that overlooked a river, and the plains around it were dusted in a thin layer of snow. The buildings glowed warmly together around the center, a small castle with red brick walls and a square tower with a peaked, green gabled roof.

“Tell me that’s Quebec and not Santa’s workshop,” Leo said.

“Yeah, Quebec City,” Piper confirmed knowledgeable. “One of the oldest cities in North America. Founded around sixteen hundred or so?”

“Yep,” The Doctor nodded, “The third of July, 1608. _That_ was a time and a half –”

“So what’s the castle?” Leo asked eagerly.

“We’re not going to storm the castle, Leo,” The Doctor rolled his eyes. “Fairmont Le Château Frontenac. It’s been a hotel since 1893.”

“Seriously?”

As they got closer, this became more obvious. The grand entrance was bustling with doormen, valets, and porters taking bags. Sleek black luxury cars idled in the drive and people in expensive suits and winter cloaks hurried to get out of the cold.

“The North Wind is staying in a hotel?” Leo said doubtfully. “That can’t be –”

“Heads up, guys,” Jason interrupted. “We got company!”

The Doctor looked below to see that rising from the top of the tower were two winged figures – angry angels, wielding swords.

Festus didn’t appear to like these angels and swooped to a halt in midair, wings beating and talons bared. A rumbling sounded in his throat, like something was building up.

“Steady, boy,” Leo muttered.

“I don’t like this,” Jason said. “They look like storm spirits.”

“Nah, they’re not.” The Doctor said.

One of them was the size of an ox, with a vibrant red hockey jersey, baggy trousers, and black leather cleats.Both his eyes were black, and several teeth were missing.

The second had pure white hair that was long and feathered into a mullet. He was wearing pointy-toed leather shoes, designer trousers that were much too tight, and a silk shirt with the top three buttons open.

The two angels pulled up in front of the dragon and hovered, swords at the ready.

“No clearance.” The first one grunted.

“‘Scuse me?” Leo said.

“You have no flight plan on file,” Explained the second. “This is restricted airspace.”

“Destroy them?” The first showed off a gap-toothed grin.

“There’s no need for that,” The Doctor said calmly, “We have clearance, see?” He pulled out the psychic paper. “See? Special clearance for the metal dragon.”

The second angel snatched it aggressively, then gasped, showing it to the first one.

“Our deepest apologies, sir.” The first cried out. “I am Cal, which is short for Calais, and this is my brother Zethes. We shall take you to the landing. Follow us!”

“How did you do that?” Leo asked as they followed the brothers.

“Paper’s slightly psychic.” The Doctor grinned. “Shows them what they want to see.”

“That’s awesome!” Jason said.

“Saves a lot of time.” The Doctor nodded.

As they got closer it was looking as though they were about to crash into the tower, but the brothers made right for the green gabled peak and didn’t slow down. But just then a section of the slanted roof slid open, revealing an entrance that was easily wide enough for Festus to land in. The top and bottom were lined with icicles.

“This cannot be good,” Jason muttered.

But Leo spurred the dragon downwards and they swooped in smoothly, landing in what looked to be a sort of frozen penthouse suite. The entry hall had vaulted ceilings with massive draped windows and lush oriental carpets. A staircase at the back of the room led up to another massive hall with more corridors branching off to the left and right. But all the rooms were covered in ice. 

The four heroes slid off the dragon.

“Guys,” Leo said, staring at the ice-covered room. “Fix the thermostat in here, and I would totally move in.”

“Not me.” Jason said uneasily. “Something feels wrong.” He looked at the staircase. “Something up there…”

Festus shuddered and snorted flames. Frost began to form on his scales.

“No, no, no.” Zethes marched over. “The dragon must be deactivated. We can’t have fire in here. The heat ruins my hair.”

Festus growled and spun his drill-bit teeth.

“‘S’okay, by.” Leo turned to Zethes. “The dragon’s a little touchy about the whole _deactivation_ concept. But I’ve got a better solution.”

“Destroy?” Cal suggested.

“No, man. You gotta stop with the _destroy_ talk. Just wait.”

“Leo,” Piper said nervously. “What are you –”

“Watch and learn, beauty queen.” Leo said. “When I was repairing Festus last night, I found all kinds of buttons. Some, you do _not_ want to know what they do. But others…Ah, here we go.”

Leo flicked a switch behind the dragon’s left foreleg. The dragon shuddered, then, as everyone backed away, he folded up like origami. His bronze plating stacked together, his neck and tail contracted into his body, his wings collapsed, and his trunk compacted until he was a rectangular metal wedge the size of a suitcase.

Leo attempted to lift it, but it wouldn’t budge. ‘Um…yeah. Hold on. I think – aha.”

He pushed another button and a handle flipped on the top and wheels clicked out on the bottom.

“Ta-da!” He announced. “The world’s heaviest carry-on bag!”

“That’s brilliant!” The Doctor grinned.

“That’s impossible.” Jason said.

“Not impossible, just highly improbable.” The Doctor pointed out.

“Stop!” Zethes ordered. Both he and Cal drew their swords, glaring at Leo.

Leo raised his hands. “Okay…what’d I do? Stay calm, guys. If it bothers you that much, I don’t _have_ to take the dragon as carry-on –”

“Who are you?” Zethes shoved the point of his sword against Leo’s chest. “A child of the South Wind, spying on us?”

“What? No!” Leo said. “Son of Hephaestus. Friendly blacksmith, no harm to anyone!”

Cal growled, putting his face up against Leo’s. “Smell fire,” he said. “Fire is bad.”  
“Oh,” Leo said nervously. “Yeah, well…my clothes are kind of singed, and I’ve been working with oil, and –”

“No!” Zethes pushed Leo back at sword point. “We can _smell_ fire, demigod. We assumed it was from the creaky dragon, but now the dragon is a suitcase. And I still smell fire…on _you._ ”

“Well, that’s to be expected, isn’t it?” The Doctor said, “Son of Hephaestus, newly claimed, residual fire. Nothing unusual. Now, we’ve got business with Boreas.”

“Yes! Yes! You have the one we’ve been watching for!”

“Watching for?” Jason asked.

“Son of Zeus!” They looked around, “Which one?”

“Me – I’m the son of Zeus,” Jason said nervously. “Why…?”

“Like watching in a good way: you’ll shower him with fabulous prizes?” Leo asked. “Or watching in a bad way: he’s in trouble?”

“That depends on my father’s will.” A girl’s voice said.

The Doctor looked up the staircase to where a girl was standing in a white silk dress. Her skin was unnaturally pale, but her hair was lush and jet black.

“Father will want to see the one claled Jason,” the girl said.

“Then it _is_ him?” Zethes asked excitedly.

“We’ll see,” the girl said. “Zethes, bring our guests.”

Leo put his hand on the suitcase, ready to follow the girl.

“Not you, Leo Valdez,” the girl said.

“Why not?” He pouted.

“You cannot be in the presence of my father,” The girl said. “Fire and ice – it would not be wise.”

“We’re going together,” Jason insisted, putting his hand on Leo’s shoulder, “Or not at all.”

The girl tilted his head, as though she wasn’t used to people refusing her orders. “He will not be harmed, Jason Grace, unless you make trouble. Calais, keep Leo Valdez here. Guard him, but do not kill him.”

Cal pouted. “Just a little?”

“No,” the girl insisted. “And take care of his interesting suitcase, until Father passes judgement.”

All eyes looked towards Leo.

“It’s fine, guys,” Leo said. “No sense causing trouble if we don’t have to. You go ahead.”

“Listen to your friend,” the pale girl said. “Leo Valdez will be perfectly safe. I wish I could say the same for you, son of Zeus. Now come, King Boreas is waiting.”


	11. A Meeting with King Boreas

They didn’t want to leave Leo, but the Doctor, Piper, and Jason found themselves climbing the icy staircase. Zethes stayed behind them, his blade drawn. Every once in a while, the girl would turn and give Jason a smile, but there was no warmth in it. She regarded Jason in the way that the Doctor was often examined: as a particularly interesting science specimen – one she couldn’t wait to dissect.

The Doctor smiled as Jason instinctively took Piper’s hand.

“It’ll be fine,” she promised him. “Just a talk, right?”

At the top of the stairs, the girl looked back and noticed the two holding hands. Her smile faded. Piper’s hand dropped from Jason’s, fingers smoking with frost.

“Warmth is not a good idea here,” she advised. “Especially when  _ I  _ am your best chance of staying alive. Please, this way.”

At the end of the corridor, they found themselves in front of a set of oaken doors that were carved with a map of the world. In each corner was a man’s bearded face, blowing wind.

The girl turned, her brown eyes glittering. “This is the throne room,” she said. “Be on your best behaviour, Jason Grace. My father can be…chilly I will translate for you, and try to encourage him to hear you out. I do hope he spares you. We could have such fun.”

“Um, okay,” Jason said, “But really, we’re just here for a little talk. We’ll be leaving right afterward.”

She smiled. “I love heroes. So blissfully ignorant.”

Piper rested her hand not-so-subtly on her dagger. “Well, how about you enlighten us? You say you’re going to translate for us, and we don’t even know who you are. What’s your name?”

The girl stiffened with distaste. “I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised you didn’t recognize me. Even in the ancient times the Greeks did not know me well. Their island homes were too warm, too far from my domain. I am Khione, daughter of Boreas, goddess of snow.”

“Khione!” The Doctor grinned. “Oh, that’s brilliant.  _ You’re  _ brilliant, you are! Proper brilliant.”

She flushed. “Come. This way.” She blew open the oaken doors and a cold blue light spilled from the room. “Hopefully you will survive your little talk.”

The throne room was even colder than the entry hall. Mist hung in the air, and along the walls, purple tapestries showed off scenes of snowy forests, barren mountains, and magnificent glaciers. High above, the aurora borealis pulsed on the ceiling. A layer of snow covered the floor, and all around the room stood human-sized ice sculpture warriors – some in Greek armor, some in medieval, and some in modern camouflage – all frozen in various attack positions, swords raised, guns pointed.

But then, as the Doctor attempted to step between two spearmen, and they moved forth with shocking speed, their joints cracking and spraying ice crystals as they crossed their javelins to block his path.

_ “Don’t kill them yet.”  _ A man’s voice ordered in French.

The ice sculptures stepped back, uncrossing their javelins.

“It’s fine,” Khione said. “My father has ordered them –”

“Not to kill us yet, yes, I do appreciate it.” The Doctor said.

“You speak French?” Khione asked.

“I speak everything.”

“Keep moving. My father is not a patient man,” Zethes warned, “and the beautiful Piper, sadly, is losing her magic hairdo very fast. Later, perhaps, I can lend her something from my wide assortment of hair products.”

“Thanks.” Piper grumbled.

They kept on until the mist finally parted to reveal a man on an ice throne. He was dressed in a stylish white suit that appeared woven from snow, with dark purple wings that spread out to either side. His long hair and shaggy beared were encrusted with icicles, and his arched eyebrows made him look perpetually angry. But it were his eyes that caught the Doctor, they twinkled invitingly, like he had a hint of humor to him.

_ “Welcome,”  _ He said in French.  _ “I am Boreas, the king. And you are?” _

Khione was about to step forth, as was the Doctor for that matter, when Piper stepped forwards and curtsied.

_ “Your Majesty,”  _ She said in flawless French,  _ “I am Piper McLean, and this is the Doctor, and Jason, son of Zeus.” _

The king gave a pleased smile.  _ “You speak French? Very good!” _

“Piper, you speak French?” Jason asked.

Piper frowned. “No. Why?”

“You just spoke French.”

Piper blinked. “I did?”

“Oh, that’s brilliant,” The Doctor grinned. “You’re daughter of Aphrodite, and French is the human language of love – well, the language of love on a number of planets – so it must be instinctual.”

_ “Clever, clever. She called you Physician, did she not?”  _ The king asked.

_ “Yep, the Doctor, that’s me.” _

_ “And who  _ are  _ you?” _

_ “Oh, bit of a nobody, I am. Just a traveler really, just passing through.” _

_ “I would have to be a fool to accept that.” _ The king smiled. He then turned to Jason.

Jason bowed.

“Your Majesty, I’m Jason Grace. Thank you for, um, not killing us. May I ask…why does a Greek god speak French?”

Piper translated it for the king.

“He speaks the language of his host country,” Piper explained, “He says all gods do this. Most Greek gods speak English, as they now reside in the United States, but Boreas was never welcomed in their realm. His domain was always far to the north. These days he likes Quebec, so he speaks French.”

The king nodded,  _ “I have orders to kill you, Jason, son of Zeus.” _

The Doctor and Piper froze.

“The king says…” Piper faltered. “He says –”

“Oh, allow me,” Khione rolled her eyes. “My father says he has orders to kill you.”

_ “By whom?”  _ The Doctor demanded.

“My lord Aeolus,” the king said, in heavily accented English, “he has commanded it.”

Boreas rose, stepping down from his throne and furling his wings against his back. As he approached, Khione and Zethes bowed, the Doctor, Jason, and Piper followed in suit.

“I shall deign to speak in your language,” Boreas said, “As Piper McLean and the Doctor have honored me in mine.  _ Always,  _ I have had a fondness for the children of Aphrodite. As for you, Jason Grace, my master Aeolus would not expect me to kill a son of Lord Zeus…without first hearing you out.”

“Aeolus is the master of the winds, right?” Jason asked. “Why would he want us dead?”

“You are demigods,” Boreas shrugged. “Aeolus’s job is to contain the winds, and the demigods have always caused him many headaches. They ask him for favors. They unleash the winds and cause chaos. But the final insult was the battle with Typhon last summer…”

Boreas waved his hand, and a sheet of ice like a flat-screen telly appeared in the air. Images of a battle flickered across the surface – a giant wrapped in storm clouds, wading across a river towards the Manhattan skyline. Tiny glowing figures – the gods – swarmed around him, pounding the monster with lightning and fire. Finally, the river erupted in a massive whirlpool as Poseidon arrived with his army of Cyclopes and sent the massive form falling into the water.

“The storm giant, Typhon,” Boreas explained. “The first time the gods defeated him, eons ago, he did not die quietly. His death released a host of storm spirits – wild winds that answered to no one. It was Aeolus’s job to track them all down and imprison them in his fortress. The other gods – they did not help. They did not even apologise for the inconvenience. It took Aeolus centuries to track down all the storm spirits, and naturally this irritated him. Then, last summer, Typhon was defeated again –”

“And his death released another wave of  _ venti, _ ” The Doctor murmured. “And Aeolus is not happy.”

_ “Not happy at all.”  _ Boreas agreed.

“But, Your Majesty,” Piper said, “the gods had no choice but to battle Typhon. He was going to destroy Olympus! Besides, why punish demigods for that?”

The king shrugged. “Aeolus cannot take out his anger on the gods. They are his bosses, and very powerful. So he gets even with the demigods who helped them in the war. He issued orders to us: demigods who come to us for aid are no longer to be tolerated. We are to crush your little moral faces.”

“That sounds…extreme,” Jason ventured. “But you’re not going to crush our faces yet, right? You’re going to listen to us first, ‘cause once you hear about our quest –”

“Yes, yes,” the king agreed. “You see, Aeolus also said that a son of Zeus might seek my aid, and if this happened, I should listen to you before destroying you, and you might – how did he put it? – make all our lives very interesting. I am only obligated to  _ listen _ , however. After that, I am free to pass judgement as I see fit. But I  _ will  _ listen first. Khione wishes this also. It may be the way we will not kill you.”

“Great.” Jason said flatly. “Thanks.”

“Do not thank me.” Boreas smiled. “There are many ways you could make our lives interesting. Sometimes we keep demigods for our amusement, as you can see.”

He gestured to the ice sculpture.

The Doctor stared at him. “They’re people? You’ve frozen and enslaved people?”

“Are they people?” Boreas shrugged. “They do not move unless they are obeying orders. The rest of the time, they are merely statues.”

“My father gives me such lovely presents,” Khione whispered to Jason. “Join our court. Perhaps I’ll let your friends go.”

“What?” Zethes broke in. “If Khione gets this one, then I deserve the girl. Khione always gets more presents!”

“Fine, you can have the girl if I get the Doctor.”

“But then you’ll have one more than me!”

“Now, children,” Boreas said sternly. “Our guests will think you are spoiled! Besides, you moved too fast. We have not even heard the demigod’s story. Then we will decide what to do with them. Please, Jason Grace, entertain us.”

Jason froze up.

“King Boreas,” the Doctor began, but the king lifted his hand to silence him.

“I don’t want to hear from you. I want to hear from him.”

Khione slithered around, purring and stroking Jason’s neck. Then, there was a loud  _ pop,  _ and Khione flew back, skidding across the floor.

Zethes laughed. “That’s good! I’m glad you did that, even though I have to kill you now.”

For a moment, Khione appeared too stunned to react, and then the air around her began to swirl. “You dare –”

“Stop,” Jason ordered forcefully, “You’re not going to kill us. And you’re not going to keep us. We’re on a quest for the queen of the gods herself, so unless you want Hera busting down your doors, you’re going to let us go.”

Khione’s blizzard died down and Zethes lowered his sword. They both looked uncertainly at their father.

“Hmm,” Boreas looked perplexed, his eyes twinkling. “A son of Zeus, favoured by Hera? This is definitely a first. Tell us your story.”

Jason looked shocked, clearly he’d not expected to have the opportunity to speak.

But it was Piper who saved him, giving Boreas the whole story, from the Grand Canyon to the prophecy.

“All we ask for is guidance,” Piper finished, “These storm spirits attacked us, and they’re working for some evil mistress. If we find them, maybe we can find Hera.”

The king stroked the icicles in his bead. “I know of these storm spirits. I know where they are kept, and of the prisoner they took.”

“You mean Coach Hedge?” Jason asked. “He’s alive?”

Boreas waved aside the question. “For now. But the one who controls these storm winds…It would be madness to oppose her. You would be better staying here as frozen statues.”

“Hera’s in trouble,” Jason said. “In three days she’s going to be – I don’t know – consumed, destroyed, something. And a giant is going to rise.”

“Yes,” Boreas agreed, subtly sending Khione an angry look. “Many horrible things are waking. Even my children do not tell me all the news they should. The Great Stirring of monsters that began with Kronos – your father Zeus foolishly believed it would end when the Titans were defeated. But just as it was before, so it is now. The final battle is yet to come, and the one who will wake is more terrible than any Titan. Storm spirits – these are only beginning. The earth has many more horrors to yield up. When monsters no longer stay in Tartarus, and souls are no longer confined to Hades…Olympus has good reason to fear.”

“So you’ll help us?” Jason asked hopefully.

Boreas scowled. “I did not say that.”

“Please, Your Majesty,” Piper suddenly said.

Everyone’s eyes turned towards her. 

“If you tell us where the storm spirits are, we can capture them and bring them to Aeolus.” She promised. “You’d look good in front of your boss. Aeolus might pardon us and the other demigods. We could even rescue Gleeson Hedge. Everyone wins.”

“She’s pretty,” Zethes mumbled. “I mean, she’s right.”

“Father, don’t listen to her,” Khione said. “She’s a child of Aphrodite. She dares to charmspeak a god? Freeze her now!”

Boreas considered this silently.

Jason placed his hand in his pocket, no doubt to clutch his coin. But the movement caught the god’s attention.

“What is that on your forearm, demigod?”

Jason reluctantly pulled his sleeve up to reveal the rest of his tattoo.

The god’s eyes widened. Khione hissed, stepping away.

Then, Boreas let out a laugh, the ice crackling from the ceiling and crashed beside his throne. The god’s form began to flicker. His beard disappeared and he grew taller and thinner. His clothes changed into a Roman toga, lined with purple, and his head was crowned with a frosty laurel wreath and a gladius hung at his side.

“Aquilon,” Jason named him.

The god inclined his head. “You recognize me better in this form, yes? And yet you said you came from Camp Half-Blood?”

Jason shifted his feet nervously. “Uh…yes, Your Majesty.”

“And Hera sent you there…” His eyes widened, full of mirth. “I understand now. Oh, she plays a dangerous game. Bold, but dangerous! No wonder Olympus is closed. They must be trembling at the gamble she has taken.”

“Jason,” Piper said nervously, “why did Boreas change shape? The toga, the wreath. What’s going on?”

“This is his Roman form,” The Doctor explained. “Oh, that’s brilliant.”

The god laughed. “No, I’m sure you don’t. This should be very interesting to watch.”

“Does that mean you’ll let us go?” Piper asked optimistically.

“My dear,” Boreas said, “there is no reason for me to kill you. If Hera’s plan fails, which I think it will, you will tear each other apart. Aeolus will never hate to worry about demigods again.”

“I don’t suppose you could explain?” Jason asked.

“Oh, perish the thought! It is not for me to interfere in Hera’s plan. No wonder she took your memory.” He chuckled. “You know, I have a reputation as a helpful wind god. Unlike my brethren, I’ve been known to fall in love with mortals. Why, my sons Zethes and Calais started as demigods –”

“Which explains why they are idiots,” Khione growled.

“Stop it!” Zethes snapped back. “Just because you were born a full goddess –”

“Both of you, freeze,” Boreas ordered. The two went completely still. “Now, as I was saying, I have a good reputation, but it is rare that Boreas plays an important role in the affairs of gods. I sit here in my place, at the edge of civilization, and so rarely have amusements. Why, even the fool Notus, the South Wind, gets spring break in Cancún, What do I get? A winter festival with naked Québécois rolling around in the snow!”

“I like the winter festival,” Zethes muttered.

“My point,” Boreas snapped, “is that I now have a chance to be the center. Oh, yes, I will let you go on this quest. You will find your storm spirits in the windy city, of course. Chicago –”

“Father!” Khione protested.

Boreas ignored his daughter. “If you can capture the winds, you may be able to gain safe entrance to the court of Aeolus. If by some miracle you succeed, be sure to tell him you captured the winds on my orders.”

“Okay, sure,” Jason said. “So Chicago is where we’ll find this lady who is controlling the winds? She’s the one who’s trapped Hera?”

“Ah.” Boreas grinned. “Those are two different questions, son of Jupiter. The one who controls the winds, yes, you will find her in Chicago. But  _ she  _ is only a servant – a servant who is very likely to destroy you. If you succeed against her and take the winds on the earth. All secrets come to his fortress eventually. If anyone can tell you where Hera is imprisoned, it is Aeolus. As for who you will meet when you finally find Hera’s cage – truly, if I told you that, you would beg me to freeze you.”

“Father,” Khione protested, “you can’t simply let them –”

“I can do what I like,” he said, his voice harshening. “I am still master here, am I not?”

The way that Boreas glared at Khione, it was very clear that this was an ongoing argument.

Khione’s eyes flashed with anger, but she clenched her teeth. “As you wish, Father.”

“Now go, demigods,” Boreas said, “Before I change my mind. Zethes, escort them out safely.”

They all bowed, and the god of the North Wind dissolved into mist.

Back in the entry hall, Cal and Leo were waiting. Leo looked cold, but unharmed. He’d even gotten cleaned up, and his clothes looked newly washed. Festus the dragon was back in normal form, snorting fire over his scales to keep himself defrosted.

As Khione led them down the stairs, the Doctor could see Leo’s eyes following her. At the bottom of the step, Khione turned to Piper. “You have fooled my father, girl. But you have not fooled me. We are not done. And you, Jason Grace, I will see you as a statue in the throne room soon enough.”

“Boreas is right,” Jason said. “You’re a spoiled kid. See you around, ice princess.”

Khione’s eyes flared a pure white, and she appeared at a loss for words. She stormed back up the steps, halfway up turning into a blizzard and disappeared.

“Be careful,” Zethes warned. “She never forgets an insult.”

Cal grunted in agreement. “Bad sister.”

“She’s the goddess of snow,” Jason said. “What’s she going to do, throw snowballs at us?”

Leo looked devastated. “What happened up there? You made her mad? Is she mad at me too? Guys, that was my prom date!”

“We’ll explain in a bit,” The Doctor said.

“Be careful, pretty girl,” Zethes said. “The winds between here and Chicago are bad-tempered. Many other evil things are stirring. I am sorry you will not be staying. You would make a lovely ice statue, in which I could check my reflection.”

“Thanks,” Piper said. “But I’d sooner play hockey with Cal.”

“Hockey?” Cal’s eyes lit up.

“Joking,” Piper siad. “And the storm winds aren’t our worst problem, are they?”

“Oh, no,” Zethes agreed. “Something else. Something worse.”

“Worse,” Cal echoed.

“Can you tell me?” Piper asked, giving them a smile.

But this time, the charm didn’t work, and the two brothers shook their head in unison. The hangar doors opened into the night, and Festus stomped his feet, anxious to fly.

“Ask Aeolus what is worse,” Zethes said darkly. “He knows. Good luck.”

Cal patted Leo on the shoulder. “Don’t get destroyed,” he said. “Next time – hockey. Pizza.”

“Come on, guys.” Jason said. “Let’s go to Chicago and try not to get destroyed.”

“Allons-y!” The Doctor grinned.

“Allons-y.” Piper echoed with a smile.

Leo rolled his eyes. "Come on."


	12. Crash Landing…Again

“You were amazing,” Jason told Piper as the glow of Quebec City faded behind them. 

She smiled, but the Doctor could see the disappointment in her eyes. But it wasn’t Jason she was disappointed in.

“I only talked to Boreas. It wasn’t so amazing.”

Piper turned away from him.

“Hey,” Jason smiled at her. “You did awesome.”

“I still can’t believe Khione,” Leo said, passing out a few sandwiches from his rucksack, “She looked so nice.”

“Trust me, man,” Jason said. “Some may be pretty, but up close it’s cold and nasty. We’ll find you a better prom date.”

Leo didn’t look all that pleased. His mood appeared to be affecting Festus as well, as the dragon grumbled and steamed.

It didn’t take long for the day’s adrenaline to wear off, and Piper and Jason had both fallen asleep.

“So…” Leo said into the silence. “Thanks for defending me in front of Khione about the whole fire thing.”

The Doctor nodded. “But I was lying, and I think you knew it.”

Leo bit his lip. “Yeah.” He admitted.

“You’ve got Pyrokinesis.” The Doctor said. “You can manipulate fire. Khione’s the daughter of Boreas, she could smell it.”

Leo looked at the Doctor desperately, “You can’t tell the others. Please.”

“I won’t,” The Doctor said, “But I just want to know why.”

“I just…It’s a touchy subject.” He said defensively. “I just…Nyssa told me that fire demigods tend to destroy cities and stuff and – and –” He clenched his fists. “It’s my fault.”

“What is?”

“My –” The words seemed to be sticking to his mouth. “My mom.”

“What d’you mean? You said she died when your shop collapsed.”

He took a deep breath. “No, I – it didn’t collapse. My hands caught fire, and – I don’t know – everything went red and flames went everywhere, and when I woke up – She was…”

He choked.

“It’s not your fault, Leo.”

“How can you say that?” Leo spat. This was the first time the Doctor had ever seen him angry.

“Leo, I know –”

“Don’t say you know how I feel, Doctor, don’t you dare.” He growled, lowering his voice to avoid waking up Piper and Jason.

“Leo,” The Doctor let out a sigh, “I know you don’t believe me, but I  _ do  _ understand.”

There was a long silence.

“What do you mean?”

The Doctor hesitated.

Before he could say anything, Festus jerked violently as though having hit an invisible wall. The Doctor’s feet were dislodged from their footholds and he felt himself plummeting to the ground. Piper started screaming, Festus was spiraling out of control, his wings limp, fire flickering in his mouth. 

Only a couple meters away, Leo was screaming and frantically grabbing at the clouds. “Not coooooooooool!”

“Piper!” Jason called from above, “Level out! Extend your arms and legs!”

Jason propelled himself towards her, wrapping his arms around her waist.

“We have to get the Doctor and Leo!”

“That would be greatly appreciated!” The Doctor called from a distance.

His fall suddenly slowed, but their descent was still turbulent.

“Gonna get rough!” Jason warned. “Hold on!”

The Doctor felt them slam into Leo, who was cursing and wriggling.

“Stop fighting!” Jason said.

“My dragon!” Leo yelled. “You gotta save Festus!”

But the Doctor could tell that this wasn’t about to happen. Jason was already clearly struggling to keep the four of them aloft, and there was no way that he could help the massive dragon as well.

An explosion sounded below them, and a fireball rolled into the sky from behind a warehouse complex.

“Festus!” Leo sobbed.

The Doctor felt the fall get faster again as Jason began to lose control. They wobbled and zigzagged, the ground got closer and closer.

“I can’t –” Jason groaned, and they dropped. The Doctor curled himself around them as they slammed into the roof of the largest warehouse and crashed through into darkness.

The Doctor pulled himself from the rubble, his body groaning in protest. His wrist was most definitely broken, and he was bleeding in multiple places, but he ignored it, stumbling to his feet and making his way to where Jason was calling out for Piper.

“Doctor, is that you?”

The Doctor gave a smile, and began to help search for the others.

“Piper!” Jason screamed. “Piper!”

“Yeah, don’t mind me.” Leo groaned as the Doctor helped him up. 

“Piper!”

“Here,” Piper managed.

The three of them made their way over to where Piper was. 

“You okay…” Leo began, but then saw her ankle. “Oh no, you’re not.”

The Doctor kneeled down to examine her.

“Thanks for the reassurance.” She groaned.

“You’ll be fine,” 

Her ankle was bent at an odd angle.

“I’m going to need to set it, all right?”

“Okay.”

“On three, one…”

The Doctor snapped it back into place.

Piper flinched so hard that she punched Leo in the arm, and he yelled nearly as much as she did. “Ow!”

“Sorry.” The Doctor said, “Leo, have you any duct tape by any chance?”

“Yeah,” he said, rubbing his arm. “Jeez, beauty queen! Glad my face wasn’t there.” He began digging through his toolbelt.

“Sorry,” she said as the Doctor picked up an old piece of wood and broke it in half. “And don’t call me ‘beauty queen,’ or I’ll punch you again.”

“Jason, have you any Ambrosia?”

“Um, yeah, I think so.” He carefully pulled the rucksack off Piper’s shoulders and rummaged through her supplies. Finally, he pulled out a bag full of smashed pastry squares. He broke off a piece and fed it to her.

She let out a relieved sigh. “More.”

“Better not.” The Doctor said, “Too much could burn you up.”

She nodded. “What happened to the dragon? Where are we?”

Leo’s expression turned sullen. “I don’t know where Festus is. He just jerked sideways like he hit an invisible wall and started to fall.” He pointed to a logo on the wall. “As far as where we are…”

It was difficult to see through the graffiti, but the Doctor could make out: MONOCLE MOTORS, ASSEMBLY PLANT 1.

“Closed car plant,” Leo said. “I’m guessing we crash-landed –”

“Michigan,” The Doctor said. “We’re in Detroit, Michigan.”

“How can you tell?” Jason asked.

The Doctor shrugged. “Smells like Detroit.”

“That is the  _ least _ helpful explanation I have ever heard.” Leo said.

“It’s not my fault you humans’ senses are so dull.”

“So, how far are we from Chicago, then?” Piper asked.

“Four hundred fifty kilometers, give or take?”

“And how many miles is that?”

“Um, two hundred eighty?”

“Yeah, but without the dragon, we’re stuck traveling overland.” Jason pointed out. 

“No way,” Leo said. “It isn’t safe.”

“He’s right.” Piper agreed. “Besides, I don’t know if I can walk. And four people – Jason, you can’t fly that many across the country by yourself.”

“No way,” Jason said. “Leo, are you sure that dragon didn’t malfunction? I mean, Festus is old, and –”

“And I might not have repaired him right?”

“I didn’t say that,” Jason protested. “It’s just – maybe you could fix it.”

“I don’t know.” Leo sounded crestfallen. “I’d have to find where he landed, if he’s even in one piece.”

“It was my fault.” Piper blurted out. 

“Piper,” Jason said gently, “you were asleep when Festus conked out. It couldn’t be your fault.”

The Doctor narrowed his eyes; Piper was hiding something from them.

“Yeah, you’re just shaken up,” Leo agreed. “You’re in pain. Just rest.” He stood up. “Look, um, Jason, why don’t you and the Doctor stay with her, bro? I’ll scout around for Festus. I think he fell outside the warehouse somewhere. If I can find him, maybe I can figure out what happened and fix him.”

“It’s too dangerous,” Jason said. “You shouldn’t go by yourself.”

“I’ll come too.” The Doctor suggested.

Leo hesitated. “Okay, fine.”

The Doctor pulled out a torch from his pocket and they hurried down the steps.


	13. The Giants of Detroit

As it turned out, Festus had crashed into the portable toilets. A dozen of the blue plastic boxes had been set up in the yard, and Festus had flattened them all. But fortunately they looked as though they’d not been used for a long time, not to mention that Festus’s fireball should have incinerated most of the contents. Heavy snow was coming down now, but the dragon’s hide was still steaming hot.

After a few minutes of looking around, the Doctor and Leo came to the same conclusion:

“There’s nothing wrong with him. He’s not even been dented from the fall.”

“The explosion must’ve come from a build up of gasses in the toilets.” The Doctor concluded.

“Not my fault,” he muttered. “Festus, you’re making me look bad.”

He opened the control panel on the dragon’s head. “Oh, Festus, what the heck?”

The Doctor made his way over, only to find the wiring to be completely frozen over.

“How could this have happened?” Leo murmured. “He was fine yesterday, I made sure of it. I repaired all the corroded lines.”

“His head should be much too hot for ice to form,” The Doctor pointed out. “It must’ve caused the wiring to overload and char the control disk.”

“Yeah, but how could this have happened?”

The Doctor didn’t have an answer for him. 

Leo took a deep breath, reaching into his toolbelt. “Right, gimme a nylon bristle detail brush, some nitrile gloves, and maybe a can of that aerosol cleaning solvent.”

“Oh, that’s brilliant,” The Doctor examined the tool belt, “Bigger on the inside? No, it’s –”

“It summons just about any tool I need. It’s like a portal.”

“Where’d you get that, then?”

“Don’t you have that magic screwdriver?” Leo said, ignoring the question and beginning to clean off the control disk.

_ “Sonic  _ screwdriver.”

“Yeah, whatever.”

A long silence.

“Earlier, you were saying something…” Leo asked nervously. “About understanding how I felt…Doctor, what happened to your family?”

The Doctor hesitated, not meeting Leo’s eyes. “They died. A long time ago.”

“But…how?”

The Doctor didn’t respond to that.

Both boys were completely silent as they continued repairs.

Finally, Leo threw his brush. “This is useless. I’m useless. You guys don’t even need me anyway. Not with you being there too.”

_ “You’re wrong, Leo.” _

The Doctor jumped, spinning around, as did Leo. On the ground, snow and sewage, and even the asphalt itself, was shifting and forming until it became the shape of a face. A face that was asleep.

_ “They need you desperately,”  _ she said.  _ “In some ways, you are the most important of the seven – like the control disk in the dragon’s brain. Without you, the power of the others means nothing. They will never reach me, never stop me. And I will fully wake.” _

“You.” Leo was shaking violently, but whether it was in terror or anger, the Doctor wasn’t quite sure. “You killed my mom.”

The face shifted. The mouth formed a sleepy smile.  _ “Ah, but Leo. I am your mother too – the First Mother. Do not oppose me. Walk away now. Let my son Porphyrion rise and become king, and I will ease your burdens. You will tread lightly on the earth.” _

Leo grabbed the nearest thing to him, which was a toilet lid, and threw it at the face. “Leave me alone!”

The seat sank into the earth. Snow and sludge rippled, and the face dissolved.

Leo stared at the ground where the face had disappeared. The Doctor stood next to him.

Then, from the direction of the factory, they heard a crash. Metal crumpled and groaned, and the noise echoed across the yard.

“Piper and Jason.” The Doctor murmured.

“Gimme the biggest hammer you got.” Leo ordered his belt, and removed a massive club hammer with a double-faced head.

“Allons-y!”

The Doctor soniced the door open. Nothing looked different. But Piper and Jason were gone.

Before the Doctor could call out, Leo grabbed him, pushing a finger to his lips.

The Doctor quirked his head in confusion.

Leo pointed to his nose.

The Doctor smelled the air. It smelled like burning motor oil.

He furrowed his eyebrows, unsure what it was that Leo could smell.

Somewhere on the factory floor, Piper’s voice cried out: “Help! Doctor! Leo!”

Leo gestured for the Doctor to follow and ducked behind a cargo container. They worked their way towards the center of the room, hiding behind boxes and hollow truck chassis. Finally, they reached the assembly line. They crouched behind the nearest piece of machinery – a crane with a robotic arm.

“Doctor? Leo?” She sounded less certain this time, but she was very close.

The Doctor peaked around the machinery. Hanging directly above the assembly line, suspended by a chain from a crane on the opposite side, was a massive truck engine – dangling 10 meters in the air,as though it had been left there when the factory was abandoned. Below it on the conveyor belt sat a truck chassis and clustered around it were three dark shapes the size of forklifts. Nearby, dangling from chains on two other robotic arms, were two smaller shapes. The shape of two bodies.

One of the forklift shapes rose, it was humanoid and massive; a giant of some kind.

“Told you it was nothing,” he rumbled, voice deep and feral.

Another massive form shifted, calling out in Piper’s voice: “Doctor! Leo! Help me! Help –” The voice then changed to a lower, more masculine snarl. “Bah, there’s nobody out there. No demigod could be that quiet, eh?”

The first monster chuckled. “Probably ran away, if they know what’s good for them. Or the girl was lying about two more demigods. Let’s get cooking.”

_ Snap.  _ A bright orange emergency flare sizzled to life.

Jason and Piper were both hanging upside down, tied by their ankles and cocooned with chains up to their necks. Piper was flailing around in a desperate attempt to free herself. Her mouth was gagged, but she was alive. Jason, on the other hand, was hanging limply, his eyes shot, and a massive red welt swollen over his left eyebrow.

On the conveyor belt, the bed of the unfinished pickup truck was being used as a fire pit. The flare had ignited a mixture of tires and wood, which had been doused in kerosene. A large metal pole was suspended over the flames – a spit.

Three massive humanoids gathered around the fire. Two were standing, stoking the flames. The largest one crouched with his back to Leo and the Doctor. The two facing him were each ten feet tall, with hairy, muscular bodies and skin that glowed red in the firelight. One of the monsters wore a chainmail loincloth, which couldn’t be all that comfortable. The other wore a ragged fuzzy toga made of fiberglass insulation. Other than that, they looked identical, each with a single eye in the center of their foreheads. They were Cyclopes.

Leo was shaking. The Doctor placed a hand on his shoulder, but Leo swatted it off.

He then pulled off his rucksack and quietly began to unzip it.

The Cyclops in the chainmail loincloth walked over to Piper, who squirmed and attempted to head-butt him in the eye.

“Can I take her gag off now?” He asked. “I like it when they scream.”

The third Cyclops grunted. He appeared to be the leader. So the one in the chainmail loincloth ripped the gag off Piper’s mouth.

But she didn’t scream. She took a shaky breath, clearly trying to keep herself calm.

Meanwhile, Leo pulled out a small stack of remote control units. He then slipped a screwdriver from his toolbelt and began to work. The Doctor could only watch, unsure what it was that Leo was doing.

The Cyclops in the toga poked at the fire, which was now blazing and billowing noxious black smoke towards the ceiling. The Cyclops in the loincloth glowered at Piper. “Scream, girl! I like funny screaming!”

When Piper finally spoke, though, she was calm, reasonable. “Oh, Mr. Cyclops, you don’t want to kill us. It would be much better if you let us go.”

The Cyclops scratched his head, turning to his friend in the fiberglass toga. “She’s kind of pretty, Torque. Maybe I should let her go.”

Torque, the Cyclops in the toga, growled. “I saw her first, Sump.  _ I’ll  _ let her go!”

Sump and Torque began to argue, but the third Cyclops rose and shouted, “Fools!”

The third Cyclops was female, several feet taller than Torque or Sump, and wearing a tent of chainmail dress. Her greasy black hair was matted in pigtails, woven with copper wires and metal washers. Her nose and mouth were thick and smashed together, but her single red eye glittered with a cruel intelligence.

She stalked over to Sump, pushing him aside and knocking him over the conveyor belt. Torque backed up quickly.

“The girl is a Venus spawn,” She said. “She’s using charmspeak on you.”

Venus. Fascinating. This Cyclops was Roman.

“Please, ma’am –” Piper tried, but the Cyclops grabbed her around the waist and growled.

“Don’t try your pretty talk on me, girl! I’m Ma Gasket! I’ve eaten heroes tougher than you for lunch!”

She then dropped Piper, allowing her to dangle from her chain. She then began to yell at Sump about how much of an idiot he was.

It appeared that Leo had finished attaching the remote, as he began to creep over to the next robotic arm whilst the Cyclopes were speaking. The Doctor followed, grabbing a remote from Leo’s hands and began attaching it to the next arm.

“What if we just eat her last, Ma?” Sump asked.

“Idiot!” ma Gasket yelled. “I should’ve thrown you out on the streets when you were babies, like  _ proper  _ Cyclops children. You might have learned some useful skills. Curse my soft heart that I kept you!”

“Soft heart?” Torque muttered.

“What was that, you ingrate?”

“Nothing, Ma. I said you got a soft heart. We get to work for you, feed you, file your toenails –”

“And you should be grateful!” Ma Gasket bellowed. “Now, stoke the fire, Torque! And Sump, you idiot, my case of salsa is in the other warehouse. Don’t tell me you expect me to eat these demigods without salsa!”

“Yes, Ma,” Sump said. “I mean, no, Ma. I mean –”

“Go get it!” Ma Gasket picked up a nearby truck chassis and slammed it over Sump’s head. Sump crumpled to his knees. He was still for a moment, but then managed to push the chassis off his head and stagger to his feet, running off to fetch the salsa.

The Doctor and Leo finished their machines and moved onto the next ones.

The Cyclops didn’t see them, but Piper caught sight of the Doctor. Her expression turned from terror to disbelief, and she gasped.

Ma Gasket turned to her. “What’s the matter, girl? So fragile I broke you?”

Fortunately, Piper was a clever girl, a quick thinker. She looked away from the Doctor and said, “I think it’s my ribs, ma’am. If I’m busted up inside, I’ll taste terrible.”

Ma Gasket bellowed with laughter. “Good one. The last hero we ate – remember him, Torque? Son of Mercury, wasn’t he?”

“Yes, Ma,” Torque said. “Tasty. Little bit stringy.”

“He tried a trick like that. Said he was on medication. But he tasted fine!”

“Tasted like mutton,” Torque recalled. “Purple shirt. Talked in Latin. Yes, a bit stringy, but good.”

“Purple shirt? Latin?” Piper caught on.

“Good eating,” Ma Gasket said fondly. “Point is, girl, we’re not as dumb as people think! We’re not falling for those stupid tricks and riddles, not us northern Cyclopes.”

The Doctor watched as Leo summoned some wires, a radio adapter, and a smaller screwdriver from his toolbelt and began to build a universal remote.

“Oh, I’ve heard about the northern Cyclopes,” Piper said. Good. Keep talking. “I never knew you were so big and clever!”

“Flattery won’t work either,” Ma Gasket said, though she sounded pleased. “It’s true, you’ll be breakfast for the best Cyclopes around.”

“But aren’t Cyclopes good?” Piper asked. “I thought you made weapons for the gods.”

“Bah! I’m very good. Good at eating people. Good at smashing. And good at building things, yes, but not for the gods. Our cousins, the elder Cyclopes, they do this, yes. Thinking they’re so high and mighty ‘cause they’re a few thousand years older. Then there’s our southern cousins, living on islands and tending sheep. Morons! But we Hyperborean Cyclopes, the northern clan, we’re the best! Founded Monocle Motors in this old factory – the best weapons, armor, chariots, fuel-efficient SUVs! And yet – bah! Forced to shut down. Laid off most of our tribe. The war was too quick. Titans lost. No good! No more need for Cyclops weapons.”

“Oh, no,” Piper sympathized. “I’m sure you made some amazing weapons.”

Torque grinned. “Squeaky war hammer!” He picked up a large pole with an accordion-like metal box on the end. He slammed it against the floor and the cement cracked, but there was also a sound like a massive rubber duck being stomped.

“Terrifying,” Piper said.

Torque looked pleased. “Not as good as the exploding axe, but this one can be used more than once.”

“Can I see it?” Piper asked. “If you could just free my hands –”

Torque stepped forth eagerly, but Ma Gasket said, “Stupid! She’s tricking you again. Enough talk! Slay the boy first before he dies on his own. I like my meat fresh.”

“Hey wait,” Piper said, attempting to get the Cyclopes’ attention. “Hey, can I just ask –”

The wires sparked in Leo’s hand. The Cyclopes froze and turned in his direction. The Doctor stood, blocking Leo from view.

“Come get me!”

Torque picked up a truck and threw it at him. He rolled and sprinted.

“Torque, you pathetic excuse for a Cyclops, get him!” Ma Gasket shouted.

Torque barreled towards him, the Doctor dove out of the way, all he needed to do was distract them long enough for Leo to finish.

Torque spun around, lifting a massive crate and throwing it, missing the Doctor by mere centimeters.

“Pathetic!” Ma Gasket spat.

“I got it! I got it!” Torque promised.

The Doctor dove out of the way as another crate went flying past. 

It was then that the first robotic arm whirred to life. A massive yellow claw slammed Torque in the back so hard, he landed flat on his face. Before he could recover, a robotic hand grabbed him by one leg and hurled him directly up. 

“AHHHHH!” The Cyclops rocketed into the gloom and hit one of the support girders, disintegrating into dust.

Ma Gasket stared in shock. “My son…You…You…”

As if on cue, Sump lumbered into the firelight with a case of salsa. “Ma, I got the extra-spicy –”

He never finished his sentence. The second robotic arm slammed Sump in the chest. The salsa case exploded and Sump flew back, right into the base of the third machine. The third arm slammed him against the floor so hard that he exploded to dust.

“You busted my boys!” Ma Gasket roared. “Only  _ I  _ get to bust my boys!”

The two remaining arms then swung into action. Ma Gasket managed to catch the first one and tore it in half. The second arm smacked her in the head, but that only enraged her. She grabbed it by the clamps and ripped it free, swinging it around, missing Piper and Jason by an inch. She then let go – spinning towards the Doctor. He rolled to one side, clipping his already-broken wrist. He cried out in pain, pulling it into his chest. 

Ma Gasket stood about five meters away from him, her fists were clenched, her teeth bared, giving a murderous glare in her large red eye.

“Any more tricks, demigod?”

“Oh, I got a couple more.” The Doctor grinned.

Leo stood up. “Heck yeah!” He raised his remote control. “Take one more step, and I’ll destroy you with fire!”

Ma Gasket laughed. “Would you? Cyclopes are immune to fire, you idiot. But if you wish to play with flames, let me help!”

She scooped red-hot coals into her bare hands and flung them at Leo. They landed all around his feet.

“You missed,” He said incredulously. Then Ma Gasket grinned and picked up a barrel beside the truck. Kerosene. She threw it, the barrel split on the floor in front of Leo, spilling lighter fluid everywhere.

“Doctor, run!” Leo shouted as the coals sparked and a firestorm erupted around him. The Doctor sprinted, sliding through the flames and hurrying up towards where Piper and Jason were. Piper was crying out.

“Doctor, you have to save him.”

The Doctor silently soniced the chains.

Ma Gasket shrieked with delight. The kerosene burned off, dying down to small fiery patches on the floor.

Piper gasped. “Leo?”

Ma Gasket looked astonished as Leo stood, unharmed. “You live?” She took a step forwards. “What are you?”

“The son of Hephaestus,” Leo said. “And I warned you I’d destroy you with fire.”  
He pointed a finger at the air and shot a bolt of white hot flames as the chain suspending the engine block above the Cyclops’s head.

The flames died. Nothing happened. Ma Gasket laughed. “An impressive try, son of Hephaestus. It’s been many centuries since I saw a fire user. You’ll make a spicy appetizer!”

The chain snapped.

“I don’t think so,” Leo said.

Ma Gasket didn’t even have time to look up.

_ Smash!  _ The Cyclops was gone. Just a pile of dust under the engine block.

“Not immune to engines, huh?” Leo said. “Boo-yah!”

He then fell to his knees.

Piper sprinted to his side as the Doctor unraveled Jason.

“Are you okay?”

“Fine…I’m fine.” Leo mumbled. “Just…drained. Is Jason okay?” He looked to the Doctor who was lowering him to the ground and rustling through his rucksack for nectar.

“He should be all right.”

“He’s got a nice thick skull,” Leo agreed.

“Thank god,” Piper sighed. She then looked at Leo with something akin to fear. “How did you – the fire – have you always…?”

Leo looked down. “Always,” he said. “I’m a freaking menace. Sorry, I should’ve told you guys sooner but –”

“Sorry?” Piper punched his arm, grinning. “That was amazing, Valdez! You saved our lives. What are you sorry about?”

Leo blinked, a small smile on his face. 

“Leo, Piper,” The Doctor said slowly, “I think we need to go now.”

“What?”

The Doctor pointed to the yellow dust that was shifting across the floor. “They’re forming again.”

“That’s not possible.” Piper said, stepping away from the dust. “Annabeth told me monsters dissipate when they’re killed. They go back to Tartarus and can’t return for a long time.”

“Well, nobody told the dust that.” Leo said.

“Oh, god.” Piper paled. “Boreas said something about this – the earth yielding up horrors. ‘When monsters no longer stay in Tartarus, and souls are no longer confined to Hades.’ How long do you think we have?”

“Not long.” The Doctor said. “We need to go. Now.”


	14. Dreams and Memories

“Cyclops!” Jason suddenly shouted.

“Woah, sleepyhead.” Piper said, sitting behind him on the bronze dragon. She had been holding his waist, keeping him balanced since they’d left. The Doctor was right behind Leo, who was driving.

“D-Detroit,” Jason stammered. “Didn’t we crash-land? I thought –”

“It’s okay,” Leo said. “We got away, but you got a nasty concussion. How you feeling?”

He furrowed his eyebrows, as if trying to remember. “How did you – the Cyclops –”

“Leo ripped them apart,” Piper said. “He was amazing. He can summon fire –”

“It was nothing,” Leo said quickly.

“Bloody brilliant is what it is.” The Doctor murmured.

“Wait, what?”

The Doctor told Jason what had happened, Piper interjecting every other sentence. 

Jason looked incredibly impressed. When the Doctor got to the other child the Cyclops had claimed to have eaten, the one with a purple shirt who spoke Latin, the son of Mercury.

“I’m not alone, then,” Jason said. “There are others like me.”

“Jason,” Piper said, “you were never alone. You’ve got us.”

“I – I know…but something Hera said. I was having a dream…” He took a breath. “I was in this – this cage made of earth. It was Hera’s cage. She was sitting there, like she’d been waiting for me. She told me that I wouldn’t die today. That my friends would see me through…for now.”

“For now?” Piper asked.

“That’s what I asked, and she told me there were worse trials to come. That the earth stirs against us. And I mean, she’s a goddess, and so I asked why she couldn’t just escape, and she did this thing where she like, glowed and then exploded. And like, I feel like the cage should’ve been blasted to rubble, but it wasn’t. It didn’t even move. She told me that some powers are greater than the gods. That she was stuck, like she was in a beartrap. I asked how she’d been caught, and she told me that she couldn’t stay idle. That my dad believes he can withdraw from the world and thus lull our enemies back to sleep. He believes the Olympians have become too involved in mortal affairs, in the fates of their children, especially since they agreed to claim them all after the war. He believes this is what caused their enemies to stir. That is why he closed Olympus. But Hera doesn’t agree. She said she could not sit by while the descendants of her people were attacked. She said a voice told her to come to the prison, and so the day Zeus closed Olympus, she snuck away and was caught in the trap. She said the gods can’t defeat them without the help of demigods.

“And – and I asked her about what Boreas had said, about the dangerous gamble.”

“What did she say?” Piper asked eagerly.

“She said it was an exchange, ‘the only way to bring peace.’ That the enemy counts on our divisions, and that if we’re divided, we’ll be destroyed. That I’m her peace offering – a bridge to overcome millennia of hatred.”

“Did she say anything else?” The Doctor asked.

“She said my sister will help. And…and beware Chicago. That my most dangerous mortal enemy waits there. She said if I die, it will be by her hand.”

“Did she say who it was?” The Doctor asked.

Jason shook his head. “Her gamble is me.” He said. “Just by sending me to Camp Half-Blood, I have a feeling she broke some kind of rule, something that could blow up in a big way –”

“Or save us,” Piper said hopefully. “That bit about the sleeping enemy – that sounds like the lady Leo told us about.”

Leo cleared his throat. “About that…she kind of appeared to me back in Detroit, in a pool of Porta-Potty sludge.”

“Did you say…Porta-Potty?” Jason asked.

Leo nodded and told him about what they’d seen.

“I don’t know if she’s completely unkillable,” He said, “But she cannot be defeated by toilet seats. I can vouch for that. She wanted me to betray you guys, and I was like, ‘Pfft, right, I’m gonna listen to a face in the potty sludge.’”

“She’s trying to divide us,” The Doctor murmured. “I’m a little more difficult because they can’t get into my dreams…”

“Why are they toying with us?” Piper asked. “Who is this lady, and how is she connected to Enceladus?”

“Enceladus?” The Doctor caught on immediately.

“I mean…” Piper’s voice wavered. “That’s one of the giants. Just one of the names I could remember.”

“Piper, have you been seeing things too?” The Doctor asked.

“I mean, I dunno, the name just sort of popped into my head.”

She wasn’t telling them everything.

Leo scratched his head. “Well, I dunno about Enchiladas –”

“Enceladus,” The Doctor and Piper both corrected.

“Whatever. But Old Potty Face mentioned another name. Porpoise Fear, or something?” He looked to the Doctor.

“Porphyrion. He was considered the king of the Giants.”

“Those myths are really garbled and conflicted, though.” Piper pointed out. “It’s almost like nobody wanted that story to survive. I just remember there was a war, and the giants were almost impossible to kill.”

“He started the first war between the gods and the giants when he kidnapped Hera after being shot with Cupid’s arrow.” The Doctor said. “He tried to avenge the Titans, by attacking Olympus with Alcyoneus. The Olympians managed to defeat the giants with the help of Heracles.”

“How do you know that?” Piper asked.

“I was there.”

“No you weren’t.”

“I was.” 

Piper stared at him. “How old  _ are  _ you?”

The Doctor smiled. “I’m a time traveler.”

“Are you serious?” Jason asked.

“Yep, and when we’re done with this, I could take you somewhere.”

“My god, you’re completely insane.”

They flew west until Festus finally dove through a break in the cloud. Below them, glittering in the sun, was a city at the edge of a massive lake, a crescent of skyscrapers lined on the shore. Behind them, stretching out to the western horizon, was a vast grid of snow-covered houses and roads.

“Chicago,” Jason said.

“One problem down,” Leo said optimistically. “We got here alive. Now, how do we find the storm spirits?”

The Doctor then saw a flash of movement below them. It spiraled towards the skyscrapers, weaving and changing shapes.

“Found them.”


	15. A Mythical Shopping Mall

The ventus were fast. Really fast.

“Speed up!” Jason urged.

“Bro,” Leo said, “if I get any closer, he’ll spot us. Bronze dragon ain’t exactly a stealth plane.”

“Slow down!” Piper yelled.

The storm spirit dove into the grid of downtown streets. Festus tried to follow, but his wingspan was much too wide. His left wing clipped the edge of a building, slicing off a stone gargoyle before Leo pulled up. 

“Get above the buildings,” Jason said, “We’ll track him from there.”

“You want to drive this thing?” Leo grumbled, but did what Jason asked.

After a few minutes, the Doctor spotted the spirit again, zipping through the streets without any obvious pattern, blowing over pedestrians, ruffling flags, causing cars to swerve.

“Oh great,” Piper said. “There’s two.”

A second ventus blasted around the corner of the Renaissance Hotel and linked up with the first. They wove together in a chaotic dance, shooting to the top of a skyscraper, bending a radio tower, and diving back down towards the street.

“Those guys do  _ not  _ need any more caffeine,” Leo said.

“I guess Chicago’s a good place to hang out,” Piper said. “ Nobody’s going to question a couple more evil winds.”

“More than a couple,” The Doctor said.

Festus circled over a wide avenue beside a lakeside park. Storm spirits were converging – there had to be at least a dozen – whirling around a large public art installation.

“Which one do you think is Dylan?” Leo asked. “I wanna throw something at him.”

Jasons stared at the fountain of the art installation. The Doctor could see the image on the screens change to a woman’s face. A woman with her eyes closed.

“Leo…” Jason said nervously.

“I see her,” Leo said. “I don’t like her, but I see her.”

The screens went dark. The venti swirled together into a single funnel cloud and skittered across the fountain, kicking up a waterspout, nearly as high as the monoliths. They got to its center, removed the drain cover, and disappeared underground.

“Did they just go down a drain?” Piper asked. “How are we supposed to follow them?”

“Maybe we shouldn’t,” Leo said. “The fountain thing is giving me seriously bad vibes. And aren’t we supposed to, like, beware the earth?”

“Put us down in the park.” The Doctor said. “We’ll take a look on foot.”

Festus landed in an open park between the lake and the skyline. The dragon’s hot metal feet hissed as they touched down, flapping his wings unhappily and shooting fire into the sky.

The Doctor, Jason, Piper, and Leo dismounted and Festus stomped his feet. One of his ruby eyes flickered as though blinking.

“Is that normal?” Jason asked.

Leo pulled a rubber mallet from his tool bag and whacked the dragon’s bad eye, and the light went back to normal. “Yes.” He said. “Festus can’t hang around here, though, in the middle of the park. They’ll arrest him for loitering. Maybe if I had a dog whistle…”

He rummaged in his tool belt, but came up with nothing.

“Too specialized?” He guessed. “Okay, give me a safety whistle. They got that in lots of machine shops.”

This time, Leo pulled out a large plastic orange whistle. “Coach Hedge would be jealous! Okay, Festus, listen.” He blew the whistle. The shrill sound rolled across the lake. “You hear that, come find me, okay? Until then, you fly wherever you want. Just try not to barbecue any pedestrians.”

Festus snorted in agreement, spread his wings, and launched into the air.

Piper took one step and winced. “Ah!”

“Your ankle?” Jason rushed to her side.

“The nectar must be wearing off.” The Doctor said.

“It’s fine.” She shivered, taking a few more steps with only a slight limp.

“Right, down the drain we go, then.” The Doctor said, bounding over towards the fountain.

Piper shuddered from the wind. “Sounds cozy.”

The drain was easily big enough for one person. A maintenance ladder led down into the gloom. The Doctor was first down, dropping into a brickwork tunnel that ran north to south. The ari was warm and dry, with only a trickle of water on the floor.

Jason, Piper, and Leo climbed down after him.

“Are all sewers this nice?” Piper wondered.

“No.” Leo and the Doctor said at the same time.

“I get how  _ you  _ probably know,” Piper said to the Doctor, “But how do  _ you  _ know, Leo?”

“Hey, man, I ran away six times. I’ve slept in some weird places, okay? Now, which way do we go?”

The Doctor licked his finger and stuck it up in the air.

“South.”

“How can you be sure?” Piper asked.

“There’s a draft blowing south.” The Doctor said.

The others shrugged, and the four of them made their way south. But as soon as they started walking, Piper stumbled. Jason had to catch her.

“Stupid ankle,” She cursed.

“Let’s rest,” Jason decided. “We could all use it. We’ve been going nonstop for over a day. Leo, can you pull any food from that tool belt besides breath mints?”

“Thought you’d never ask. Chef Leo is on it!”

Piper and Jason sat on a brick ledge whilst Leo shuffled through his pack. The Doctor made his way over towards him and sat down, helping to prepare the meal.

“You did a good job, you know.” The Doctor told him. “You saved all of us.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know.” He sighed. “I could’ve killed you guys.”

“Nah. You were brilliant, Leo.”

“I just – I don’t want to be the reason that you guys get hurt.” This seemed to remind him of something. “How’s your wrist?”

“What?”

“You broke it earlier, didn’t you?”

He hesitated. “Yeah, but it’s fine now. No harm done, I’m a quick healer.”

“You sure? You want some ambrosia or anything?”

“No, no. I’m okay. I’m always okay.”

“Right.” He grabbed the Doctor’s wrist. He gasped in pain.

“Oi!”

“Yeah, you’re always okay.” Leo rolled his eyes.

“Bloody hell,” The Doctor murmured. “Rude.”

Leo hummed and finished up the cooking, approaching Jason and Piper with plates of tacos, chips, and salsa.

“Leo,” Piper said in amusement. “How did you –?”

“Chef Leo’s Taco Garage is fixing you up!” He said proudly. “And by the way, it’s tofu, not beef, beauty queen, so don’t freak. Just dig in!”

He then returned to his toolbelt to get some bandages.

“What’s that for?” Piper asked.

Leo gave a wordless glance to the Doctor, grabbing his arm and sitting him down.

“Oi! It’ll heal on its own. My healing is much superior to you humans’ –”

“How long’s it gonna take you to realize I don’t care, bro?” Leo asked, beginning to wrap his wrist. The Doctor made a face, but allowed for Leo to wrap his wrist.

Once they’d finished eating, it only took seconds before Piper was sound asleep..

“Leo…” Jason said. “About this fire stuff you can do…is it true?”

Leo’s smile faltered. “Yeah, well…” he opened his hand and a small ball of flame burst to life, dancing across his palm.

“That’s so cool,” Jason said. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

Leo closed his hand and the fire went out. “Didn’t want to look like a freak.”

The Doctor let out a short laugh. “Mate, I’m an alien, it doesn't get much madder than that.”

“Yeah,” Jason said, “The Doctor’s not human, I have lightning and wind powers, and Piper can turn beautiful and charm people into giving her BMWs. You’re no more a freak than we are. And, hey, maybe you can fly, too. Like jump off a building and yell, ‘Flame on!’”

Leo snorted. “If I did that, you would see a flaming kid falling to his death, and I would be yelling something a little stronger than, ‘Flame on!’ Trust me, Hephaestus cabin doesn’t see fire powers as cool. Nyssa told me they’re super rare. When a demigod like me comes around, bad things happen.  _ Really  _ bad.”

“Maybe it’s the other way around,” Jason suggested. “Maybe people with special gifts show up when bad things are happening because that’s when they’re needed most.”

Leo cleared away the plates. “Maybe. I’m telling you…it’s not always a gift.”

Jason fell silent. “You’re talking about your mom, aren’t you? The night she died.”

“Her death wasn’t your fault, Leo.” The Doctor said.

There was a long silence, in which Leo took to poke at the remnants of his fire, turning over hot coals with his bare hands. “You ever wonder about the other four demigods? I mean…if we’re three of the ones from the Great Prophecy, who are the others? Where are they?”

The Doctor hesitated, “Dunno, but I imagine that Percy Jackson is one of them.”

“I guess they’ll show up when the time is right.” Leo shrugged. “I bet their sewer is nicer than ours.”

“You lot should get some rest,” The Doctor said. “I’ll keep watch.”

“I’ll take the next watch.” Jason suggested. 

“I don’t sleep.”

“Oh.”

Jason, Piper, and Leo slept for four hours before they broke camp and started down the tunnel. It twisted and turned, until they found themselves before the polished steel doors of a lift, each one engraved with a cursive letter  _ M. _ Beside the lift, was a directory.

“M for Macy’s?” Piper guessed. “I think they have one in downtown Chicago.”

“Or Monocle Motors still?” Leo said. “Guys, read the directory. It’s messed up.”

Parking, Kennels, Main Entrance  Sewer Level

Furnishings and Café M 1

Women’s Fashion and Magical Appliances 2

Men’s Wear and Weaponry 3

Cosmetics, Potions, Poisons & Sundries 4

“Kennels for what?” Piper asked. “And what kind of department store has its entrance in a sewer?”

“Or sells poisons,” Leo said. “Man, what does ‘sundries’ even mean? Is that like underwear?”

“It’s like a collection of miscellaneous things.” The Doctor explained.

“When in doubt,” Jason said, “I think we should start at the top.”

The doors of the fourth floor slid open and the thick scent of perfume wafted into the lift. The Doctor was the first to step out, followed by Jason, his sword drawn.

“This is  _ not  _ Macy’s.” Piper said, catching her breath.

The shop’s ceiling was a stained glass mosaic with astrological signs around a massive sun. The daylight streamed through, washing the shop in vibrant colours. The upper floors made a ring of balconies around a massive central atrium, so they could see all the way down to the ground floor. Gold railings glittered brightly in the light.

Apart from the ceiling and the lift, there were no windows or doors, but two sets of glass escalators ran between levels. The carpeting was a variety of colours and patterns, and the racks of merchandise were unusual. There were shirts and shoes, mixed with armoured manikins, beds of nails, and fur coats that shifted and moved of their own accord.

Leo stepped to the railing and looked down. “Check it out.”

In the center of the atrium, a fountain sprayed water five meters into the air, changing colour from red to yellow to blue. The pool glittered with golden coins, and on either side of the fountain stood a massive gilded bird cage.

Inside one, a miniature hurricane swirled, and lightning flashed. Someone had imprisoned the storm spirits. The cage shuddered as they tried to get out. In the other, frozen like a statue, was a short satyr, holding a tree-branch club.

“Coach Hedge!” Piper said. “We’ve got to get down there.”

A voice said, “May I help you find something?”

The four of them jumped back as a woman appeared in front of them wearing an elegant black dress with diamond jewelry. Her long dark hair swept over one shoulder, she looked maybe fifty years old, with thin, haunting, and cold features. 

“I’m so happy to see new customers. How may I help you?”

“Oh, right, just here to look around.” The Doctor said, “This is your store, yeah?”

The woman nodded. “I found it abandoned, you know. I understand so many stores are, these days. I decided it would make the perfect place. I love collecting tasteful objects, helping people, and offering quality goods at a reasonable price. So this seemed a good…how do you say…first acquisition in this country.”

“It’s pretty, really…pretty.” He looked around. “So you’re new here, then?”

“As are you, it seems.” She smiled. “England, such a lovely little island.”

“And where are you from?” The Doctor asked.

“I am the Princess of Colchis. Your friends call me Your Highness. Now, what are you looking for?”

“Are you Medea or Chalciope?”

“Ooh, a clever one,” the princess purred. “You know your history, then. I’ll leave it for you to figure out. Now, what are you looking for?”

The Doctor frowned. “Right then, the satyr you’ve got there, Gleeson Hedge.”

“Of course!” The princess agreed immediately. “I would love to show you my inventory. First, may I know your names?”

“I’m the Doctor.” The Doctor said, “This is Piper, Leo, and Jason.”

The princess fixed her eyes on Jason for just a moment, her eyes glowing with anger.

“Jason. What an interesting name,” she said coldly. “I think we’ll have to make a special deal for you. Come, children. Let’s go shopping.”


	16. The Princess of Colchis

The princess gestured towards the cosmetics counter. “Shall we start with the potions?”

“Coach Hedge is where we should start.” The Doctor said. 

“Oh, don’t worry, darling. We’ll work our way down to the first floor, eh?”

Before the Doctor could argue, Leo nodded eagerly. “Sure, yeah! That sounds okay. Right, Doctor?”

The Doctor frowned. “No –”

“Of course it’s okay.” The princess put her hands on Leo’s and Jason’s shoulders, steering them towards the cosmetics. “Come along, boys.”

The Doctor and Piper exchanged a look.

“This is not good.”

Piper shook her head. “No, it’s not.”

They had little choice but to follow.

“And here,” the princess said, “is the finest assortment of magical mixtures anywhere.”

The counter was crammed with bubbling beakers and smoking vials on tripods. Lining the display shelves were crystal flasks – some shaped like swans or honey bear dispensers. The liquids inside were every colour, from glowing white polka-dotted. The smells were of fresh-baked cookies or roses, but they were mixed with the scents of burning tires and skunk spray. 

The princess pointed to a bloodred vial – a simple test tube with a cork stopper. “This one will heal any disease.”

“Even cancer?” Leo asked. “Leprosy? Hangnails?”

“Any disease, sweet boy. And this vial” – she pointed to a swan-shaped container with a blue liquid within – “will kill you very painfully.”

“Awesome,” Jason said. He sounded dazed and sleepy.

“Jason,” Piper begged him. “We’ve got a job to do, remember?”

“Job to do,” Jason muttered. “Sure. But shopping first, okay?”

The princess beamed at him. “Then we have potions for resisting fire –”

“Got that covered,” Leo said.

“Indeed?” The princess studied Leo’s face more closely. “You don’t appear to be wearing my trademark sunscreen…but no matter. We also have potions that cause blindness, insanity, sleep, or –”

“Wait.” Piper was still staring at the red vial. “Could that potion cure lost memory?”

The princess narrowed her eyes. “Possibly. Yes. Quite possibly. Why, my dear? Have you forgotten something important.”

The Doctor could tell that Piper was fighting to maintain a neutral expression.

“How much?”

The princess got a faraway look in her eyes. “Well, now…The price is always tricky. I love helping people. Honestly, I do. And I always keep my bargains, but sometimes people try to cheat me.”

Her gaze drifted to Jason. “Once, for instance, I met a handsome young man who wanted a treasure from my father’s kingdom. We made a bargain, and I promised to help him steal it.”

“Medea.” The Doctor breathed.

“From your own dad?” Jason was still half in a trance, but the idea seemed to bother him.

“Oh, don’t worry,” Medea said. “I demanded a high price. The young man had to take me away with him. He was quite good-looking, dashing, strong…” She looked at Piper. “I’m sure, my dear, you understand how one might be attracted to such a hero, and want to help him.”

“At any rate,” the sorceress continued, “my hero had to do many impossible tasks, and I’m not bragging when I say he couldn’t have done them without me. I betrayed my own family to win the hero his prize. And still he cheated me of my payment.”

“Cheated?” Jason frowned, as though trying to remember something important.

“That’s messed up,” Leo said.

Medea patted his cheek affectionately. “I’m sure you don't need to worry, Leo. You seem honest. You would always pay a fair price, wouldn’t you?”

Leo nodded. “What were we buying again? I’ll take two.”

Piper broke in: “So, the vial, Your Highness – how much?”

The princess assessed Piper’s clothes, her face, her posture, as though determining how much she would be worth. It was a look with which the Doctor was very familiar.

“Would you give anything for it, my dear?” Medea asked. “I sense that you would.”

“No,” Piper said powerfully. “I won’t pay _any_ price. But a fair price, maybe. After that, we need to leave. Right, guys?”

“Right.” The Doctor said.

“Leave?” Jason said in confusion.

“You mean…after shopping?” Leo asked.

“Impressive,” The princess said. “Not many people could resist my suggestions. Are you children of Aphrodite, my dears? Ah, you are – I should have seen it. But you…fasticanting. No matter. Perhaps we should shop a while longer before you decide what to buy, eh?”

“But the vial –”

“Now, boys.” She turned to Jason and Leo. “Would you like to see more?”

“Sure,” Jason said.

“Okay,” Leo said.

“Excellent,” Medea said. “You’ll need all the help you can get if you’re to make it to the Bay Area.”

“The Bay Area?” The Doctor asked.

“Well, that’s where they’ll die, isn’t it?” Medea smiled.

She then led the boys towards the escalators, Jason and Leo still looking excited to shop.

Piper and the Doctor cornered the princess as Jason and Leo went off to check out the living fur coats.

“You want them shopping for the deaths?” Piper demanded.

“Mmm.” The princess blew dust off a display case of swords. “I’m a seer, my dear. I know your little secret. But we don’t want to dwell on that, do we? The boys are having such fun.”

Leo laughed as he tried on a hat that was made of enchanted raccoon fur. Its ringed tail twitched, and its small legs wriggled frantically as Leo walked. Jason was staring at men’s sportswear.

Piper glared at her. “Who are you?”

“I think your little friend already knows that.”

Piper looked at the Doctor.

“Medea. She’s princess Medea. She married the original Jason.”

“And you said he cheated you out of your payment?”

“He didn’t, though. Yes, he eventually left you for another woman, and I know that must hurt, but he made good on his deal. He promised to get you out. And he did. And he married you.”

“Hey, check it out!” Jason called.

He was standing in front of a rack that was labeled: DISTRESSED CLOTHING. He held up a purple T-shirt, like the one he’d been wearing on the school field trip, but this shirt looked as though he’d been clawed by tigers.

Jason frowned. “Why does this look so familiar?”

“Jason, it’s like _yours,_ ” Piper said. “Now, we really have to leave.”

“Nonsense,” Medea said. “The boys aren’t done, are they? And yes, my dear. Those shirts are very popular – trade-ins from previous customers. It suits you.”

Leo picked up an orange Camp Half-Blood t-shirt with a hole through the middle, as though it had been hit by a javelin. Next to that was a dented bronze breastplate pitted with corrosion, and a Roman toga slashed to pieces and stained with dried blood.

“Your Highness,” Piper said, “Why don’t you tell the boys how you betrayed your family? I’m sure they’d like to hear that story.”

The boys turned, suddenly more interested.

“More story?” Leo asked.

“I like more story!” Jason agreed.

Medea flashed Piper an irritated look. “Oh, one will do strange things for love, Piper. You should know that. I fell for that young hero, in fact, because your mother Aphrodite had me under a spell. If it wasn’t for her – but I can’t hold a grudge against a goddess, can I?”

“But that hero took you with him when he fled Colchis,” Piper said, “Didn’t he, Your Highness? He married you, just as promised.”

Medea glared at her. “At first,” she admitted. “It seemed he would keep his word. But even after I helped him steal my father’s treasure, he _still_ needed my help. As we fled, my brother’s fleet came after us. His warships overtook us. He would have destroyed us, but I convinced my brother to come aboard our ship first and talk under a flag of truce. He trusted me.”

“And you killed him.” The Doctor said. “He trusted you and you killed him.”

“What?” Jason stirred, for a moment, looking almost like himself. “Killed your own –”

“No,” the princess snapped. “Those stories are lies. It was my new husband and his men who killed my brother, though they couldn’t have done it without my deception. They threw his body in the sea, and the pursuing fleet had to stop and search for it so they could give my brother a proper burial. This gave us time to get away. All this, I did for my husband. And he forgot our bargain. He betrayed me in the end.”

Jason still looked uncomfortable. “What did he do?”

The princess held the sliced up toga against Jason’s chest, as though measuring him for an assasination. “Don’t you know the story, my boy? You of all people should. You were named for him.”

“You should be dead.” Piper said.

Medea smiled. “As I said, a new life in a new country. Certainly I made mistakes. I turned my back on my own people. I was called a traitor, a thief, a liar, a murderess. But I acted out of love.” She turned to the boys and gave them a pitiful look, batting her eyelashes. “Wouldn’t you do the same for someone you loved, my dears?”

“Oh, sure,” Jason said.

“Okay,” Leo said.

“Guys!” Piper ground her teeth in frustration. “Don’t you see who she is? Don’t you –”

“Piper, they don’t.” The Doctor said.

“Let’s continue, shall we?” Medea said breezily. “I believe you wanted to talk about a price for the storm spirits – and your satyr.”

Leo got distracted on the second floor with the appliances.

“No way,” he said. “Is that an armored forge?”

Before anyone could stop him, he hopped off the escalator and ran over to a large forge. 

“You have good taste.” Medea said once they caught up with him. “This is the H-2000, designed by Hephaestus himself. Hot enough to melt Celestial bronze or Imperial gold.”

Jason flinched as though he’d recognized the term. “Imperial gold?”

The princess nodded. “Yes, my dear. Like that weapon so cleverly concealed in your pocket. To be properly forged, Imperial gold had to be consecrated in the Temple of Jupiter on Capitoline Hill in Rome. Quite a powerful and rare metal, but like the Roman emperors, quite volatile. Be sure never to break that balde…” She smiled pleasantly. “Rome was _after_ my time, of course, but I do hear stories. And now over here – this golden throne is one of my finest luxury items. Hephaestus made it as a punishment for his mother, Hera. Sit in it and you’ll be immediately trapped.”

Leo began walking towards it in a trance.

“Leo!” The Doctor grabbed him.

“He blinked. “How much for both?”

“Oh, the seat I could let you have for five great deeds. The forge, seven years of servitude. And for only a bit of your strength –”

She led Leo into the appliance section, giving him prices on various items.

This gave Piper the opportunity to pull Jason aside and slap him across the face.

“Ow,” he muttered sleepily. “What was that for?”

“Snap out of it!” Piper hissed. 

“What do you mean?”

“She’s charmspeaking you. Can’t you feel it?”

He knit his eyebrows. “She seems okay.”

“She’s not okay! She shouldn’t even be alive! She was married to Jason – the _other_ Jason – three thousand years ago. Remember what Boreas said – something about the souls no longer being confined to Hades? It’s not just monsters who can’t stay dead. She’s come back from the Underworld!” 

Jason shook his head uneasily. “She’s not a ghost.”

“No, she’s worse! She’s –”

“Children.” Medea was back with Leo in tow. “If you please, we will now see what you came for. That is what you want, yes?”

“Yes,” The Doctor said, before Piper could do anything rash. “Why don’t you take us to Coach Hedge.”

They took the escalator down to the base of the fountain. On the floor, the Doctor noticed two large bronze sundials inlaid on the marble tile floor to the north and south of the fountain. The gilded cages stood to the east and west, and the farthest one held the storm spirits. They were densely packed, spinning around together like a tornado.

“Hey,” Leo said. “Coach Hedge looks okay!”

They hurried to the nearest cage where the old satyr appeared to be petrified from the moment he’d been sucked into the sky above the Grand Canyon. He was frozen, mid-shout, his club raised above his head, his curly hair stuck up at odd angles. 

“Yes,” Medea said. “I always keep my wares in good condition. We can certainly barter for the storm spirits and satyr. A package deal. If we come to good terms, I’ll even throw in the vial of healing potion, and you can go in peace.”

“What do you want?” The Doctor asked.

“Well, aren’t you up-front. You want the satyr freed, and you want my storm spirits – who are very valuable servants, by the way – so you can hand them over to that tyrant Aeolus. Doesn’t seem quite fair, does it? The price will be high.”

“What do you want, Medea?” The Doctor asked.

“Medea?” Jason asked, “You helped the original Jason?”

“Yes!” Piper said. “She helped him steal the Golden Fleece. You’re one of the most evil villains in Greek mythology. Jason, Leo – don’t trust her.”

Jason stepped away from the enchantress. Leo scratched his head, looking around as if returning from a dream.

“What are we doing, again?”

“Boys!” The princess spread her hands in a welcoming gesture. “It’s true, I’m Medea. But I’m so misunderstood. Oh, Piper, my dear, you don’t know what it was like for women in the old days. We had no power, no leverage. Often we couldn’t even choose our own husbands. But _I_ was different. I chose my own destiny by becoming a sorceress. Is that so wrong? I made a pact with Jason: my help to win the fleece, in exchange for his love. A fair deal. He became a famous hero! Without me, he would’ve died unknown on the shores of Colchis.”

Jason scowled. “Then…you really did die three thousand years ago? You came back from the Underworld?”

“Death no longer holds me, young hero,” Medea said. “Thanks to my patron, I am flesh and blood again.”

“You…re-formed?” Leo blinked. “Like a monster?”

Medea spread her fingers, steam hissed from her nails. “You have no idea what’s happening, do you, my dears? It is so much worse than a stirring of monsters from Tartarus. My patron knows that giants and monsters are not her greatest servants. _I_ am mortal. I learn from my mistakes. And now that I have returned to the living, I will not be cheated again. Now, here is my price for what you ask.”

“Guys,” Piper said. “The original Jason left Medea because she was crazy and bloodthirsty.”

“Lies!” Medea said.

“On the way back from Colchis, Jason’s ship landed at another kingdom, and Jason agreed to dump Medea and marry the king’s daughter.”

“After I bore him two children!” Medea said. “Still he broke his promise! I ask you, was that right?”

“You killed them!” The Doctor shouted. “You killed them out of revenge! Then you poisoned his new wife and fled the kingdom!”

Medea snarled. “An invention to ruin my reputation. The people of the Corinth – that unruly mob – killed my children and drove me out. Jason did nothing to protect me. He robbed me of everything. So yes, I sneaked back into the palace and poisoned his lovely new bride. It was only fair – a suitable price.”

“You’re insane,” Piper said.

“I am the victim!” Medea wailed.

“And that’s how you justify it.” The Doctor growled. “That’s how you justify what you’ve done.”

“I died with my dreams shattered!” Medea cried out. “But no longer. I know now not to trust heroes. When they come asking for treasures, they will pay a heavy price. Especially when the one asking has the name of Jason!”

The fountain turned bright red.

“Jason, Leo, Doctor –” Piper said. “It’s time to go. _Now._ ”

“Before you’ve closed the deal?” Medea asked. “What of your quest, boys? And my price is so easy. Did you know this fountain is magic? If a dead man were to be thrown into it, even if he was chopped to pieces, he would pop back out fully formed – stronger and more powerful than ever.”

“Seriously?” Leo asked.

“Leo, she’s lying,” The Doctor said, trying to stay calm. “She’s used that trick before. King Pelias, she convinced his daughters to chop him into pieces so that he’d come out of the water young and healthy, but it just killed him.”

“Ridiculous,” Medea said, “Leo, Jason – my price is so simple. Why don’t you two fight? If you get injured, or even killed, no problem. We’ll just throw you in the fountain and you’ll be better than ever. You _do_ want to fight, don’t you? You resent each other!”

“Guys, no!” Piper cried, but they were already glaring at each other, as though it was just dawning on them how much they really did resent one another.

Leo scowled. “Jason’s always the star. He always gets the attention and takes me for granted.”

“You’re annoying, Leo,” Jason said. “You never take anything seriously. You can’t even fix a dragon.”

“Stop!” Piper pleaded, but both drew their weapons – Jason his gold sword, and Leo a hammer from his tool belt.

“Let them go, Piper,” Medea urged. “I’m doing you a favor. Let it happen now, and it will make your choice so much easier. Enceladus will be pleased. You could have your father back today!”

Piper hesitated.

“You work for Enceladus,” she accused.

Medea laughed. “Serve a giant? No. But we all serve the same greater cause – a patron you cannot begin to challenge. Walk away, child of Aphrodite. This does not have to be your death, too. Save yourself, and your father can go free.”

The Doctor ran between Leo and Jason.

“Get out of the way,” Jason growled. “I don’t want to have to go through you.”

“Listen to me, girl.” Medea was saying, plucking a diamond from her bracelet and throwing it into a spray of water from the fountain. As it passed through the multicoloured light, she asiad, “Oh Iris, goddess of the rainbow, show me the office of Tristan McLean.”

The mist shimmered, and a study appeared. Behind a desk, speaking on his phone, was a woman in a dark business suit and hair swirled in a tight bun.

“Hello, Jane,” Medea said.

The woman hung up the phone calmly. “How can I help you, ma’am? Hello, Piper.”

“You –” Piper gasped.

“Yes, child,” Medea said. “Your father’s assistant. Quite easy to manipulate. An organized mind for a mortal, but incredibly weak.”

“Thank you, ma’am,” Jane said.

“Don’t mention it,” Medea said. “I just wanted to congratulate you, Jane. Getting Mr. McLean to leave town so suddenly, take his jet to Oakland without alerting the press or the police – well done! No one seems to know where he’s gone. And telling him his daughter’s life was on the line – that was a nice touch to get his cooperation.”

“Yes,” Jane agreed blandly. “He was quite cooperative when he believed Piper was in danger.”

Piper looked down at the dagger in her hand.

“I may have new orders for you, Hane,” Medea said. “If the girl cooperates, it may be time for Mr. McLean to come home. Would you arrange a suitable cover story for his absence, just in case? And I imagine the poor man will need some time in a psychiatric hospital.”

“Yes, ma’am. I will stand by.”

The image faded. Medea turned to Piper. “There, you see?”

“You lured my dad into a trap,” Piper said. “You helped the giant –”

“Oh, please, dear. You’ll work yourself into a fit! I’ve been preparing for this war for years, even before I was brought back to life. I’m a seer, as I said. I can tell the future as well as your little oracle. Years ago, still suffering in the Fields of Punishment, I had a vision of the seven in your so-called Great Prophecy. I saw your friend Leo here, and saw that he would be an important enemy someday. I stirred the consciousness of my patron, gave her this information, and she managed to wake just a little – just enough to visit him.”

“Leo’s mum,” The Doctor breathed, “Leo, she’ helped get your mother killed!”

“Uh-huh,” Leo mumbled, still in a daze. He and Jason were circling each other, the Doctor in the middle of them. “So…I just attack Jason? That’s okay?”

“Perfectly safe,” Medea promised.

“But the Doctor’s in between us.”

“Then you can attack him too,” Medea suggested, “It will be fine. And Jason, strike him hard. Show me you are worthy of your namesake.”

“No!” Piper ordered. “Jason, Leo –she’s tricking you. Please put down your weapons.”

The sorceress rolled her eyes. “Please, girl. You’re no match for me. I trained with my aunt, the immortal Circe. I can drive men mad or heal them with my voice. What hope do these puny young heroes have against me? Now, boys, kill him!”

“You don’t have to do this,” The Doctor said desperately

“Jason, Leo, listen to me.” Piper said, her voice was strong, letting go of all anger, all fear, all desperation. “Medea is charming you. It’s part of her magic. You are best friends. Don’t fight each other. Fight _her!”_

The boys both hesitated.

Jason blinked. “Doctor, was I about to stab you?”

“Something about my mother…?” Leo frowned, then turned towards Medea. “You…you’re working for Dirt Woman. You sent her to the machine shop.” He lifted his arm. “Lady, I got a three-pound hammer with your name on it.”

“Beh!” Medea sneered. “I’ll simply collect payment another way.”

She pressed one of the mosaic tiles on the floor, and the building rumbled. Jason swung his sword at Medea, but she dissolved into smoke and reappeared at the base of the lift.

“You’re slow, hero!” She laughed. “Take your frustration out on my pets!”

The bronze sundials at either end of the fountain swung open. Two snarling golden dragons crawled out, each the size of a camper. 

“So that’s what’s in the kennels,” Leo said meekly.

The dragons spread their wings and hissed. 

“Don’t look them in the eye!” Jason warned. “They’ll paralyze you.”

“Indeed!” Medea was leisurely riding the escalator up, leaning against the handrail as she watched the fun. “These two dears have been with me a long time – sun dragons, you know, a gift from my grandfather, Helios. They pulled my chariot when I left Corinth, and now they will be your destruction. Ta-ta!”

The dragons lunged. Leo and Jason charged to intercept. Medea was on the second floor, where she’d be able to choose from a wide assortment of deadly appliances.

“Oh, no, you don’t,” Piper growled, and took off after her, the Doctor at her heels.

The Doctor soniced the escalator, and it stopped moving, forcing Medea to start running up the steps, taking them three at a time. She didn’t stop at floor two, she hopped the next escalator and continued to scend.

The potions. She was going for the potions.

Down below, the Doctor could hear Leo blowing his safety whistle. Jason was yelling to keep the dragons’ attention.

Piper grabbed a shield from an armored manikin and they continued to climb. 

They reached the top floor, but it was too late. Medea had reached the potions counter. The sorceress grabbed a swan-shaped vial – the blue one that caused a painful death. Piper threw her shield.

Medea turned triumphantly, just in time to get hit in the chest by a massive metal shield. She stumbled back, crashing over the counter, breaking vials and knocking down shelves. When she stood from the wreckage, her dress was stained a dozen different colours, many of them smouldering and glowing.

“Fool!” Medea wailed. “Do you have any idea what so many potions will do when mixed?”

“Kill you?” Piper said hopefully.

The carpet began to steam around Medea’s feet and she coughed, her face contorting in pain.

Below, Leo called, “Jason help!”

“I’ve got her,” Piper promised the Doctor, go help them.”

The Doctor nodded, flying down the escalator steps. Leo was pinned to the floor by one of the dragon’s baring his fangs.

The Doctor slammed his body into the dragon, sending him flying across the room.

“You’ve doomed us all!” Medea screamed from above. “You have only seconds before this concoction consumes everything and destroys the building. There’s no time –”

_CRASH!_

Through the stained glass ceiling, Festus dropped down, sending a rain of multicoloured shards.

“That’s my boy!” Leo yelled.

Festus flew halfway up the atrium, then hurled the sun dragons back into the pits. Leo raced to the fountain and pressed the marble tile, closing the sundials. They shuddered as the dragons banged against them, trying to get out, but for the moment they were contained.

Medea cursed in Ancient Greek. The entire forth floor was aflame now. The air filled with noxious gas, even with the roof open.

“I will not be abandoned again!” Medea was shouting. “You want your boyfriend’s memory restored? Take me with you!”

The Doctor, Leo, and Jason were mounting Festus, beginning to ascend.

“You’ll never survive your quest without me! Your boy hero will stay ignorant forever, and your father will die. Take me with you!”

Piper hesitated, and for a sickening moment, it looked as though she was going to say yes. And then she looked up.

“Not today, witch!” She jumped over the side, plummeting for only a moment before the Doctor, Leo, and Jason caught her, hauling her aboard the dragon.

They could hear Medea screaming in rage as they soared through the broken roof and over downtown Chicago. Then, the shop exploded behind them.


	17. ANOTHER Crash Landing

Leo steered the dragon southwest, and eventually, the smoke from the burning shop faded into the distance.

“Good job, Festus.” Leo patted the dragon’s metal hide. “You did awesome.”

Festus shuddered, gears popping and clicking in his neck.

“I’ll give you a tune-up next time we land,” Leo promised him. “You’ve earned some motor oil and Tabasco sauce.”

The dragon whirled his teeth, but the Doctor could tell the sound was weak. 

“Leo,” Piper patted the boy’s shoulder. “You feeling okay?”

“Yeah…not bad for a brainwashed zombie.” He said, trying to sound light. “Thanks for saving us back there, beauty queen. If you hadn’t talked me out of that spell –”

He looked at the Doctor guiltily.

“Yeah, well, if it weren’t for the Doctor, I wouldn’t have known how.”

There was a long silence.

“We’re going to have to put down soon,” Leo warned Jason, Piper, and the Doctor. “Couple more hours, maybe, to make sure Medea’s not following us. I don’t think Festus can fly much longer than that.”

“Yeah,” Piper said. “Coach Hedge probably wants to get out of his cage, too. Question is – where are we going?”

“The Bay Area,” Leo said. “Wait, didn’t Medea say something about Oakland?”

“Piper’s father,” The Doctor said. “Piper, what’s happened to him? He got lured into a trap?”

Piper let out a shaky breath. “Look, Medea said you would both _die_ in the Bay Area. And besides…even if we went there, the Bay Area is huge! First, we need to find Aeolus and drop off the storm spirits. Boreas said Aeolus was the only one who could tell us exactly where to go.”

“So how do we find Aeolus?” Leo grunted.

“You mean you don’t see it?” Jason asked, leaning forwards. He pointed ahead of them. 

“Jason, what do you see?” The Doctor asked.

“That…whatever it is,” Jason said. “In the air.”

The Doctor, Piper, and Leo exchanged a look.

“Jason, we don’t see anything,” The Doctor said, “What do you see?”

“It’s like a vapor trail,” Jason said. “Except it’s glowing. Really faint, but it’s definitely there. We’ve been following it since Chicago, so I figured you saw it.”

“Aeolus must be leaving you a trail.” The Doctor realized. “Festus can sense it.”

“It could be another trap.” Piper pointed out. Her voice was shaking.

“Pipes, you all right?” Leo asked.

“Don’t call me that.”

“Okay, fine. You don’t like any of the names I make up for you. But if your dad’s in trouble and we can help –”

“You can’t,” Piper said, her voice even shakier than before. “Look, I’m tired. If you don’t mind…”

She leaned back against Jason and closed her eyes.

“What about you, Doc?” Leo asked. “Sorry we nearly killed you.”

“Wasn’t your fault.”

Leo hesitated. “But those feelings, they didn’t come out of nowhere…”

“I know.”

“You do?”

“That’s what Medea does, Leo. She gets into your head, she takes hold of those feelings and exacerbates them.” Leo met his eyes. “You’re not useless to us, you know. We wouldn’t even be here if you’d not gotten Festus working for us.”

“Yeah.” Leo murmured. “Thanks.”

“You should get some sleep.”

“All right.” Leo sighed, handing the Doctor the reins.

He slumped against the dragon and was asleep in seconds.

“You should get some sleep too, Jason.”

Jason hesitated. “You knew about Leo, didn’t you? Before he showed us. And you knew about Piper’s dad, didn’t you? And Leo’s mom.”

“Jason…”

“You’re hiding things from all of us.”

“Jason, these aren’t my secrets to tell.”

“Yeah.”

They were flying smoothly through the sky until there was a jolt. Festus shuddered. Then without warning, they were spiraling through the dark in a free fall, still on the dragon’s back. But Festus’s hide was cold and his ruby eyes dim.

“Not again!” Leo was shouting.

The Doctor could see the lights of the city below them, getting bigger and bigger.

“Jason!” The Doctor souted, “Take Piper and Leo and fly out of here!”

“What?”

“No! Take Piper and go!” Leo shouted. “We need to lighten the load and the Doctor and I might be able to reboot Festus, but he’s carrying too much weight!”

“What about you guys?” Piper cried. “If you can’t reboot him —”

“We’ll be fine!” Leo yelled back. “Just follow us to the ground. Go!”

Jason grabbed Piper around the waist. They both unbuckled their harnesses, and in a flash they were gone – shooting into the air.

The Doctor got to work soniccing, whilst Leo desperately pulled and reconnected wires.

Festus groaned, the metal inside his neck creaking. His eyes flickered weakly to life and he spread his wings. Their fall was turning into a steep glide.

“Good boy!” The Doctor praised.

They were still flying in much too fast, and the ground was much too close.

“We need a place to land!” Leo called over the wind.

“There!” The Doctor shouted, pointing towards a landing field of a mansion that was blazing with light.

The Doctor and Leo each grabbed a wing and steered Festus towards the landing field.

Then, as they approached the lawn, spotlights along the fence fixed on them. There was the familiar burst of tracer fire, and the sound of metal being cut to shreds.

_BOOM!_

The Doctor felt his head slam onto something hard, and everything went dark.

The Doctor opened his eyes only to find Jason leaning over him.

“Leo.” He sat up, nearly slamming into Jason, “Is he –”

“He’s over there,” Jason said, pointing to where Leo was kneeling in the snow, Piper by his side. He was crying, and in front of him, Festus lay in a burning heap, limbs scattered across the lawn, tail hung on the fence, and the mid-section had plowed a trench in the yard. Festus must have dropped the cages as he came over the fence, as they’d rolled in different directions and landed on their sides, perfectly undamaged.

Leo stroked the snout of the dragon as he sobbed. Festus’s eyes flickered weakly, oil leaking from his ear.

The Doctor made his way over, kneeling beside Leo as the boy pleaded. “You can’t go. You’re the best thing I ever fixed.”

The dragon’s head whirred its gears.

“It’s not fair.” He sobbed.

The dragon clicked. Then a long _creak_ , then two short _clicks. Creak. Creak._ It was a pattern. Morse code. It was a simple message on repeat.

_Everything can be reused._

One look at Leo, and the Doctor could tell that he could hear it too.

“Yeah,” He said. “I understand. I will. I promise.”

The dragon’s eyes went dark, and Festus was gone.

“I’m sorry, man.” Jason was the first to speak. “What did you promise Festus?”

Leo sniffled, opening the dragon’s head panel. The control disk was cracked and burned beyond repair, even for the Doctor.

“Something my dad told me,” Leo said. “Everything can be reused.”

“You spoke to your father?” The Doctor asked.

Leo didn’t respond, working at the dragon’s neck hinges until the head was detached. He held it in his arms, looking up at the sky. “Take him back to the bunker, Dad. Please, until I can reuse him. I never asked you for anything.”

The wind picked up, and the dragon’s head flew into the sky and disappeared.

Piper looked at him in amazement. “He _answered_ you?”

“I had a dream,” Leo admitted. “Tell you later. Where are we?” He then looked around. “I mean, what city?”

“Omaha, Nebraska,” Piper said before the Doctor could respond. “I saw a billboard as we flew in. But I don’t know what this mansion is. We came in right behind you, but as you were lading, I swear it looked like – I don’t know –”

“Lasers,” the Doctor said. “A defense system, most likely.”

“How are we even alive?” Jason asked.

“Festus,” It was Leo who answered, his voice miserable. “He took the fire. The lasers sliced him to bits as he came in so they didn’t focus on you. I led him into a death trap.”

“You couldn’t have known,” Piper said. “He saved our lives again.”

“But what now?” Jason said. “The main gates are locked, and I’m guessing I can’t fly us out of here without getting shot down.”

The Doctor examined the large white mansion.

“I suppose we’ll just have to go in, then.”


	18. The Palace of King Midas

To be perfectly honest, without Leo, the Doctor, Piper, and Jason would have most likely died a number of times on the way to the mansion.

The first one was the motion-activated trapdoor on the sidewalk, then it was the lasers on the steps, then the nerve gas dispenser on the porch railing, the pressure-sensitive poison spikes in the welcome mat, and of course, the exploding doorbell.

Yet Leo deactivated them all, as though he could sense them.

“You’re amazing, man.” Jason said.

“That was brilliant.” The Doctor agreed.

Leo scowled as he examined the front door lock. “Yeah, amazing. Can’t fix a dragon right, but I’m amazing.”

“Leo, no one could have done better –” The Doctor tried, but Leo cut him off.

“Front door’s already unlocked.”

Piper stared at the door in disbelief. “It is? All those traps and the _door’s_ unlocked?”

Leo turned the knob and the door swung open. He stepped inside without hesitation.

The house was…dark. Even the Doctor could barely see. From the echo of their footsteps, he could tell that the entry hall was massive, but the only illumination came from the yard lights outside. A faint glow peaked through the breaks in the thick velvet curtains, and the windows rose about three meters tall. Spaced between them along the walls were human-sized metal statues. Sofas were arranged in the middle of the room in the shape of a U, with a central coffee table and one large chair at the far end. A massive chandelier glinted overhead, and along the back wall stood a row of closed doors.

“Where’s the light switch?” Jason asked, his voice echoing loudly through the room.

“Don’t see one,” Leo said.

“Fire?” Piper suggested.

Leo held out his hand, but nothing happened. “It’s not working.”

“Your fire is out? Why?” Piper asked.

“Well, if I knew that –”

“Okay, okay,” she said. “What do we do – explore?”

“Absolutely!” The Doctor grinned madly.

“No!” Leo hissed. “After all those traps outside? Bad idea.”

The Doctor pouted.

“Leo’s right,” Jason insisted. “We’re not separating again – not like in Detroit.”

“Oh, thank you for reminding me of the Cyclopes.” Piper’s voice quavered. “I needed that.”

“It’s about an hour until dawn,” Jason guessed.

“One hour, seventeen minutes, and thirty eight seconds.” The Doctor supplied.

“It’s about an hour until dawn,” Jason repeated, giving the Doctor an irritated glance. “Too cold to wait outside. Let’s bring the cages in and make camp in this room. Wait for daylight; then we can decide what to do.”

So the Doctor, Piper, Jason, and Leo rolled the cages with Coach Hedge and the storm spirits, then settled in. Fortunately, Leo didn’t find any more traps. They ate cold rations, and once they’d eaten, the Doctor made his way towards Coach Hedge’s cage to try to unlock it. It only took a few minutes for the Sonic to get through the lock, and it clicked open.

“Ahhhhhhggggggh!”

The Coach was awake now, that was for sure.

He capered around the room, swinging his club and yelling, “Die!” as he smashed the tea set, hit the sofas, and charged at the throne.

“Coach!” Jason yelled.

The satyr turned, breathing hard, his eyes wild. 

“You’re the new kids,” Coach Hedge said, looking from Jason to the Doctor. He then turned to Leo, and then Piper. “Valdez, McLean,” he said. “What’s going on? We were at the Grand Canyon. The anemoi thuellai were attacking and –” He zeroed in on the storm spirit cage, and his eyes went unfocused again. “Die!”

The Doctor stepped in front of his path. “They’re in a cage, see?”

“Cage? Cage? What’s going on? Just because I’m a satyr doesn’t mean I can’t have you doing plank push-ups!”

Jason cleared his throat. “Coach – Gleeson – um, whatever you want us to call you. You saved us at the Grand Canyon. You were totally brave.”

“Of course I was!”

“The extraction team came and took us to Camp Half-Blood.” The Doctor explained.

“Yeah, we thought we’d lost you,” Jason said. “Then we got word the storm spirits had taken you back to their – um, operator, Medea.”

“That witch! Wait – that’s impossible. She’s mortal. She’s dead.”

“Yeah, well,” Leo said, “somehow she got not dead anymore.”

Coach hedge nodded, his eyes narrowing. “So! You were sent on a dangerous quest to rescue me. Excellent!”

“Um.” Piper got to her feet, holding out her hands so that Coach Hedge wouldn’t attack her. “Actually, Glee– can I still call you Coach Hedge? Gleeson seems _wrong._ We’re on a quest for something else. We kind of found you by accident.”

“Oh.” The coach’s spirits deflated somewhat, but only for a moment. His eyes then lit up again. “But there are no accidents! Not on quests. This was _meant_ to happen! So, this is the witch’s lair, eh? Why is everything gold?”

The Doctor looked around. Indeed, everything in the room was made of gold from the statues to the tea-set that had been smashed, to the chair that was most certainly a throne. Even the curtains appeared to be woven of golden fiber that the first hints of dawn were peering through.

The Doctor raised his eyebrows. “No wonder they’ve got so much security.”

“This isn’t –” Piper stammered. “This isn’t Medea’s place, Coach. It’s some rich person’s mansion in Omaha. We got away from Medea and crash-landed here.”

“It’s destiny, cupcakes!” Coach Hedge insisted. “I’m meant to protect you. What’s the quest?”

Before any of them could respond, a door opened at the far end of the room.

A pudgy man in a white bathrobe stepped out with a golden toothbrush in his mouth. He had a white beard and a sleeping cap over his white hair. He froze when he saw them, and the toothbrush fell out of his mouth.

He glanced into the room behind him and called, “Son? Lit, come out here please. There are strange people in the throne room.”

Coach Hedge raised his club.

“Die!”

It took all four of them to hold back the satyr.

“Woah, Coach!” Jason said. “Bring it down a few notches.”

A younger man, who must have been Lit, charged into the room dressed in pajama trousers and a sleeveless T-shirt that said CORNHUSKERS. In his hand was a sword, his arms covered in scars.

Lit immediately zeroed in on Jason, stalking towards him and swinging his sword overhead.

“Wait, wait, wait!” The Doctor insisted, stepping between the two. “We don’t need to resort to violence –”

Lit stopped, but still looked wary. It wasn’t helping that Coach Hedge was screaming. “I’ll get them! Don’t worry!”

“Coach,” Jason pleaded, “they may be friendly. Besides, we’re trespassing in their house.”

“Thank you!” said the old man in the bathrobe. “Now, who are you, adn why are you here?”

“Right, how about we put down all our weapons,” The Doctor gave Coach Hedge a pointed look.

Coach Hedge clenched his jaw. “Just one thwack?”

“No.”

“What about a compromise? I’ll kill them first, and if it turns out they were friendly, I’ll apologize.”

“No.” The Doctor repeated.

“Meh.” Coach Hedge lowered his club.

Piper gave Lit an apologetic look. Lit huffed and sheathed his sword. “You speak well – fortunately for your friends, or I would’ve run them through.”

“Appreciate it,” Leo said. “I try not to get run through before lunchtime.”

The man in the bathrobe sighed, kicking the teapot that the coach had smashed. “Well, since you’re here. Please, sit down.”

Lit frowned. “Your Majesty –”

“No, no, it’s fine, Lit,” The old man insisted. “New land, new customs. They may sit in my presence. After all, they’ve seen me in my nightclothes. No sense observing formalities.” He tried his best to smile, but it looked very clearly uncomfortable and forced. “Welcome to my humble home. I am King Midas.”

“Midas? Impossible,” Coach Hedge determined. “He died.”

They all sat down on the sofas, the king reclining in his throne. Lit stood behind him, both hands on his sword, glancing around at each of them, flexing his arms.

The Doctor ignored him, sitting forwards in his chair. “Your Majesty, you’re the second mortal we’ve met so far who’s been rumored to have died thousands of years ago.”

“Interesting.” The king gazed out the windows at the brilliant blue skies and the winter sunlight. In the distance, the city looked…clean. Almost suspiciously so.

“You know,” the king said, “I think I _was_ a bit dead for a while. It’s strange. Seems like a dream, doesn’t it, Lit?”

“A very long dream, Your Majesty.”

“And yet, now we’re here. I’m enjoying myself very much. I like being alive better.”

“But what I want to know is how.” The Doctor said.

King Midas hesitated, a sly twinkle in his eye. “Does it matter?”

“We could kill them again,” Hedge suggested.

“Coach, not helping,” Jason said. “Why don’t you go outside and stand guard?”

Leo coughed. “Is that safe? They’ve got some serious security.”

“Oh, yes,” the king said. “Sorry about that. But it’s lovely stuff, isn’t it? Amazing what gold can still buy. Such excellent toys you have in this country!”

He fished a remote control out of his bathrobe pocket and pressed a few buttons – likely a pass code.

“There,” King Midas said. “Safe to go out now.”

Coach Hedge grunted. “Fine. But if you need me…” He winked at Jason meaningfully. Then he pointed at himself, pointed two fingers at their hosts, and sliced a finger across his throat. Subtle.

“Yeah, thanks,” Jason said.

After the satyr left, the Doctor continued. “So how’s it you’ve managed to come back?”

“Oh, well, I suppose I have an idea,” the king said. He frowned at Lit. “Why did we pick Omaha, again? I know it wasn’t the weather.”

“The oracle.” Lit said.

“Yes! I was told there was an oracle in Omaha.” The king shrugged. “Apparently I was mistaken. But this is a rather nice house, isn’t it? Lit – it’s short for Lityerses, by the way – horrible name, but his mother insisted – Lit has plenty of wide-open space to practice his swordplay. He has quite a reputation for that. They called him the Reaper of Men back in the old days.”

“Lityerses,” The Doctor recognized. “You were killed by Herakles.”

Lit gave a cruel sneer, as though the reminder was not all that pleasant.

“So,” Jason said, “All this gold –”

The king’s eyes lit up. “Are you here for gold, my boy? Please, take a brochure!”

The Doctor examined the brochures on the coffee table. The title read; _GOLD; Invest for Eternity._

“Um,” Jason said, looking over the Doctor’s shoulder, “You sell gold?”

“No, no,” The king said. “I _make_ it. In uncertain times like these, gold is the wisest investment, don’t you think? Governments fall. The dead rise. Giants attack Olympus. But gold retains its value!”

Leo frowned. “I’ve seen that commercial.”

“Oh, don’t be fooled by cheap imitators!” The king said. “I assure you, I can beat any price for a serious investor. I can make a wide assortment of gold items at a moment’s notice.”

“But you gave up the golden touch,” The Doctor said, “You washed yourself in the River Pactolus and passed your gift to the river.”

“After turning your daughter to gold,” Piper remembered. “You turned your own daughter to gold and realized how greedy you’d been. So you repented.”

“Repented!” King Midas looked at Lit incredulously. “You see, son? You’re away for a few thousand years, and the story gets twisted all around.”

“Tell me about it.” The Doctor murmured.

“Dear girl,” the king went on, “did those stories ever _say_ I’d lost my magic touch?”

“Well, I guess not.” Piper said thoughtfully, looking to the Doctor who shook his head.

“The Greek said that it was ‘passed on’ to the river. I suppose he could’ve maintained some sort of control over it…”

“Sometimes I still have to reverse my touch.” King Midas agreed. “There’s no running water in the house because I don’t want accidents” – he gestured to his statues – “but we chose to live next to a river just in case. Occasionally, I’ll forget and pat Lit on the back –”

Lit retreated a few steps. “I hate that.”

“I _told_ you I was sorry, son. At any rate, gold is wonderful. Why would I give it up?”

“Well…” Piper said, looking quite lost. “Isn’t that the point of the story? That you learned your lesson?”

King Midas laughed. “My dear, may I see your backpack for a moment? Toss it here.”

Piper hesitated, but didn’t seem all that eager to offend the king. She dumped everything from her rucksack and tossed it to King Midas. The moment he caught it, the rucksack turned to gold, like a frost that spread across the fabric. But it was still flexible and soft, as though woven with golden thread. The king tossed it back.

“As you can see, I can still turn anything to gold,” King Midas said. “That pack is magic now, as well. Go ahead – put your little storm spirit enemies in there.”

“Seriously?” Leo asked, suddenly interested.

“All this time and _now_ the bigger-on-the-inside is bothering you?” The Doctor raised an eyebrow.

“Look, I know you’ve got magic pockets,” Leo said, “But he just _magic-ed_ a backpack!” He took the rucksack from Piper and held it up to the cage. As soon as he unzipped it, the winds stirred and howled in protest. The cage bars shuddered. The door of the prison flew open and the winds were vacuumed directly into the pack. Leo zipped it shut once more and grinned. “Gotta admit. That’s cool.”

“You see?” King Midas said. “My golden touch a _curse_? Please. I didn’t learn any lesson, and life isn’t a story, girl. Honestly, my daughter Zoe was much more pleasant as a gold statue.”

“She talked a lot,” Lit agreed.

“Exactly! And so I turned her back to gold.” King Midas pointed. And there in the corner was a golden statue of a girl with a shocked expression.

“That’s horrible!” Piper gasped.

“Nonsense, she doesn’t mind.” The king shrugged. “Besides, if I’d learned my lesson, would I have gotten these?”

King Midas pulled off his oversized sleeping cap to reveal his long, grey donkey’s ears that stuck up from his white hair.

The Doctor smiled sourly. “Yes, this was from your run-in with Apollo and Pan, was it not? You judged Pan the winner, and Apollo punished you. So you hid them away, the only person who knew was your barber, sworn and bullied into silence. But instead of telling others, he went and whispered it into a hole in the earth. And from that spot a handful of reeds grew and whenever the wind blew, they would sing your truth for all to hear.”

“Yes, that’s him over there,” King Midas said smugly, gesturing to another golden statue – a bald man in a toga, holding a pair of shears. “He won’t be telling anyone’s secrets again.”

The Doctor glowered at him as the king grinned madly. “Yes, gold has many good uses. I think that _must_ be why I was brought back, eh Lit? To bankroll our patron.”

Lit nodded. “That and my good sword arm.”

“What need would a patron have for money?” The Doctor asked. “Unless the money’s not for a patron. It’s for an army, isn’t it? You’re funding an army.”

King Midas smiled appreciatively, “Finally, someone who understands. I tried to explain that to the last group who came through, but they were very unfriendly. Wouldn’t cooperate at all.”

“The last group? The Doctor asked.

“Hunters,” Lit snarled. “Blasted girls from Artemis.

The Doctor smiled. Brilliant girls, they were.

“When?” Jason demanded suddenly, “What happened?”

Lit shrugged. “Few days ago? I didn’t get to kill them, unfortunately. They were looking for some evil wolves, or something. Said they were following a trail, heading west. Missing demigod – I don’t recall.”

Percy Jackson. They must be searching for Percy. 

King Midas scratched his donkey ears. “Very unpleasant young ladies, those Hunters,” he recalled. “They absolutely refused to be turned into gold. Much of the security system outside I installed to keep that sort of thing from happening again, you know. I don’t have time for those who aren’t serious investors.”

“Right,” the Doctor said, exchanging a look with Jason, Piper, and Leo, “thanks for having us, it’s been brilliant. Very…informative. We’ve got to be going now –”

“Oh, but you can’t leave!” King Midas said. “I know you’re not serious investors, but that’s all right! I have to rebuild my collection.”

Lit was smiling cruelly. The king rose, and Leo and Piper moved away from him.

“Don’t worry,” the king assured them. “You don’t _have_ to be turned to gold. I give all my guests a choice – join my collection, or die at the hands of Lityerses. Really, it’s good either way.”

“Your Majesty,” Piper attempted her charmspeak. “You can’t –”

Quicker than he should have been, the old man grabbed her wrist.

“No!” The Doctor shouted, but the frost of gold was already spreading over Piper, and in a heartsbeat, she was a glittering statue. Leo attempted to summon his fire, but seemed to have forgotten that his power wasn’t working. King Midas touched his hand, and Leo was solid metal.

The Doctor pulled Jason out of the way. They backed up, but were running out of room to do so.

King Midas smiled apologetically. “Gold trumps fire, I’m afraid.” He waved around him at all the gold curtains and furniture. “In this room, my power dampens all others: fire…even charmspeak. Which leaves me with some more trophies to collect.”

“Hedge!” Jason yelled. “Need help in here!”

For once, the satyr didn’t charge in.

King Midas chuckled. “No goat to the rescue? Sad. But don’t worry, my boy. It’s really not painful. Lit can tell you.”

“Wait, we choose combat. You said we could choose to fight Lit instead.” Jason insisted. 

King Midas looked mildly disappointed, then looked to the Doctor, “You too?”

“Yes,” The Doctor said. “I choose it as well.”

King Midas shrugged and backed away. “I said you could _die_ fighting Lit. But of course, if you wish.”

Lit raised his sword. “I’m going to enjoy this. I am the Reaper of Men!”

“Come on, Cornhusker!” Jason said, summoning his own weapon. The Doctor pulled out his Sonic.

“How is that supposed to help?” Jason hissed.

“You’d be surprised,” The Doctor responded.

“Oh, a gold weapon!” Midas said. “Very nice.”

Lit charged. He was quick. The Doctor and Jason dodged. The Doctor watched as Jason’s posture suddenly changed. He was suddenly firmer, more confident, almost instinctual.

“What is that style?” Lit growled. “You don’t fight like a Greek.”

“Legion training,” Jason said. “It’s Roman.”

“Roman?” Lit struck again, but Jason deflected his blade. “What is _Roman_?”

“News flash,” Jason said. “While you were dead, Rome defeated Greece. Created the greatest empire of all time.”

“Well –” The Doctor said.

“On Earth, to this day!” Jason shouted back, “Honestly, whose side are you on?”

“Impossible,” Lit said. “Never even heard of them.”

The Doctor glanced up to a chandelier on the ceiling. With a buzz of the Sonic, it began to fall. The Doctor pushed Jason from the way, allowing for the chandelier to land directly onto Lit.

“See, I told you it was useful.” The Doctor grinned.

“Oh, dear,” Midas said. “Lit?”

“You ought to help him up, Your Majesty.” The Doctor said.

Lit cried, “Dad, no!”

But it was too late. King Midas put his hand on his son’s shoulder, and suddenly a very angry-looking golden statue was on the floor.

“Curses!” King Midas wailed. “That was a naughty trick! I’ll get you for that.” He patted Lit’s golden shoulder. “Don’t worry, son. I’ll get you down to the river right after I collect my next few statues.”

King Midas raced forth, but the Doctor and Jason dodged. Jason kicked the coffee table into the old man’s legs and knocked him over.

The Doctor could then feel the air pressure drop rapidly. He looked to Jason, who was smiling.

“Ow!” King Midas stumbled to his feet and grabbed his donkey ears. “What are you doing? My power is supreme here!”

Thunder rumbled. Outside, the sky turned black.

“You know another good use for gold?” Jason said.

“Bloody hell, Jason, you’re brilliant.” The Doctor grinned.

King Midas raised his eyebrows, suddenly excited. “Yes?”

“It’s an excellent conductor of electricity.”

Jason raised his javelin, and the ceiling exploded. A lightning bolt ripped through the roof and connected with the tip of Jason’s spear, and sent out arcs of energy that blasted the sofas to shreds. Chunks of ceiling plaster crashed down. A massive golden pillar came crashing down and King Midas screamed as it pinned him to the floor.

When the rumbling stopped, freezing rain poured into the building. The king cursed creatively in Ancient Greek, thoroughly pinned beneath the rubble. The rain soaked everything, turning the chandelier that was crushing Lit back into glass. Piper and Leo were slowly changing as well, alongside the other statues in the room. 

Then the front door burst open, and Coach Hedge charged in, club ready. His mouth was covered with dirt, snow, and grass.

“What’d I miss?”

“Where were you?” Jason demanded. “I was screaming for help.”

Hedge belched. “Getting a snack. Sorry. Who needs killing?”

“No one,” The Doctor rolled his eyes. “Jason, you get Piper, I’ve got Leo.”

“Don’t leave me like this!” Midas wailed.

All around him the statues of his victims were turning to flesh – his daughter, his barber, and a lot of angry humans with swords.

The Doctor grabbed Piper’s golden rucksack as Jason threw a rug over the golden statue of Lit. 

“Let’s get out of here,” Jason said. “I think these guys will want some quality time with Midas.”

“Please, help!” King Midas pleaded. The Doctor met his eyes, then turned away coldly, leaving him to the mercy of those he had turned to gold.


	19. Plotting and Planning

The Doctor, Jason, and Coach Hedge ended up having to dump Piper into the river to get her back to normal. She and Leo shivered violently as the other three attempted to dry them off.

“L-L-Leo?” Piper finally managed.

“Present and un-gold-ified.” Leo said, wrapped in blankets. Neither looked all that well. “I got the precious metal treatment too,” he said. “But I came out faster. Dunno why.”

“It’s because your core temperature is naturally warmer.” The Doctor explained. “The fire’s  _ inside  _ of you.”

“You’ve got hypothermia,” Jason explained to Piper. “We risked as much nectar as we could. Coach Hedge did a little nature magic –”

“Sports medicine.” The coach said. “Kind of a hobby of mine. Your breath might smell like wild mushrooms and Gadorade for a few days, but it’ll pass. You probably won’t die. Probably.”

“You’ll be fine.” The Doctor assured her. “It’s  _ mild  _ hypothermia. You’re shivering, which is good, your body’s trying to warm you up. You need a proper rest for a half hour, some food and drink, and as long as we keep you warm and dry, you should be all right.”

Piper nodded, “How did you guys beat Midas?”

Jason told her the story, putting most of it down to the Doctor and to luck. 

The coach snorted. “Kid’s being modest. You should’ve seen him. Hi-yah! Slice! Boom with the lightning!”

“Coach, you didn’t even see it,” Jason said. “You were outside eating the lawn.”

But the satyr wasn’t done yet. “Then I came in with my club and we dominated the room. Afterward, I told him, ‘Kid, I’m proud of you! If you could just work on your upper body strength –’”

“Coach,” Jason said.

“Yeah?”

“Shut up, please.”

“Sure.” The coach sat down at the fire and started chewing his cudgel.

Jason put a hand on Piper’s forehead and checked her temperature. “Leo, can you stoke the fire?”

“Oh it.” Leo summoned a clump of flames and lobbed it into the campfire.

“Do I look that bad?” Piper shivered.

“Nah,” Jason said.

“Yes.” The Doctor admitted.

“Doctor!” Jason glared.

“Where are we?” Piper asked.

“Pikes Peak,” the Doctor said. “Colorado.”

“But that’s, what – five hundred miles from Omaha?”

“Five hundred and ninety-five.” The Doctor said. “Give or take a mile or two.”

“Right,” Jason said. “I harnessed the storm spirits to bring us this far. They didn’t like it – went a little faster than I wanted, almost crashed us into the mountainside before I could get them back in the bag. I’m not going to be trying that again.”

“Why are we here?” Piper asked.

Leo sniffled. “That’s what  _ I  _ asked him.”

“You know that glittery wind trail we saw yesterday?” Jason said, “It was still in the sky, though it had faded a lot. I followed it until I couldn’t see it anymore. Then – honestly I’m not sure. I just felt like this was the right place to stop.”

“Course it is.” Coach Hedge spit out some cudgel splinters. “Aeolus’s floating palace should be anchored above us, right at the peak. This was one of his favorite spots to dock.”

“Maybe that was it.” Jason knit his eyebrows. “I don’t know. Something else, too…”

“The Hunters were heading west,” The Doctor murmured. 

“Are they near us, do you think?” Piper asked.

The Doctor shrugged. “They’re always around.”

“I don’t see how anyone could survive on the mountain right now.” Jason said. “The storm’s pretty bad. It’s already the evening before the solstice, but we don’t have much choice except to wait out the storm here. We had to give you some time to rest before we tried moving.”

Jason cuddled up with Piper as Leo and the Doctor broke out the cooking supplies. 

“So guys,” Leo broke in, “long as you’re cuddled up for story time…something I’ve been meaning to tell you. On the way to Omaha, I had this dream. Kinda hard to understand with the static and the  _ Wheel of Fortune  _ breaking in —”

_ “Wheel of Fortune?” _ Piper asked. But Leo’s expression was deadly serious.

“The thing is,” he said. “My dad Hephaestus talked to me.” He sighed. “I heard this voice full of static, y’know, like a bad AM radio. Everything was kind of hazy and grey, with bands of interference. I was in this workshop – this forge, and it wasn’t a camp forge either, it was  _ huge _ . And then there was this guy blocking my view – It was my dad.” 

The Doctor could hear Leo’s attempt to remove all emotion from his voice. 

“He said I reminded him of my mom…He said he missed her…” He cleared his throat. “And that he saw the science project I made in fifth grade – so I guess he was watching me. And He was scared to talk to me. I don’t know why, and he said he wasn’t, but he definitely was. Said something about not being good with children…or people. But he said that he was keeping track of me especially.”

“Why?” Piper asked.

“I assume for the fire thing.” Leo shrugged. “Said if Zeus knew he was contacting me, he’d ‘have his hide.’ Said after the second Titan War, the gods were embarrassed because they needed the help of their children – especially Percy Jackson.”

“The one that’s missing.” Jason said.

“Yeah. Apparently, he turned down the gods’ offer of immortality and told them to pay better attention to their children. So the gods got bitter. To have Percy Jackson refuse their gift was like saying that being mortal was better than being a god, so Zeus got upset and closed Olympus. My dad said that Zeus thinks he can reverse the tide and lul the earth back to sleep as long as the gods stay quiet, but apparently the rest of the gods don’t believe that. Dad said they barely survived the Titans, and that they’re in no shape to fight another war.

“And the giants. Dad said that the demigods and gods had to join forces to defeat them.” Leo went on. “That they’re tough to kill – a different breed – Like war dogs. He said that everything in creation came from the same parents – Gaea and Ouranos, Earth and Sky. They had the Titans – the ones who chopped his father with a scythe and took over the world –, then the gods – children of Titans who defeated them –, and the giants, who were sired by Tartarus who wanted revenge on the gods for the fall of the Titans. They rose up to destroy Olympus, and apparently came pretty close.

“Apparently, what Hera is doing is ‘playing a dangerous game.’ But Dad said it’s the only way to open Zeus’s eyes and convince the Olympians they have to accept the help of demigods. He said I’m a big part of that. He said I have a role to play. That you were right, Jason.” He looked at Jason. “That my fire’s a gift and not a curse. That he doesn’t give that blessing to just anyone. That they’ll never defeat the giants without me, much less the mistress they serve. Apparently she’s worse than any god or Titan.”

“Did he tell you who she is?” Piper asked eagerly.

Leo shook his head. “I mean, he said he told me, but I don’t think he did. And he told me – he told me I’ll lose some friends and some valuable tools, but that it’s not my fault. That’s when he told me that everything can be reused. He then told me to watch out for something, but he couldn’t tell me what.”

“I don’t understand.” Piper said. “If demigods and gods have to work together to kill the giants, why would the gods stay silent? If they need us –”

“You must understand,” The Doctor said, “The gods are very proud. They feel they are above all – above demigods, above humans. This is not something Zeus will change on.”

“There’s more, though,” Jason said. “When I dreamed about Hera in her cage, she said Zeus was acting unusually paranoid. And Hera – she said she went to those ruins because a voice had been speaking in her head. What if someone’s influencing the gods, like Medea influenced us?”

“It’s certainly possible,” The Doctor said, “as much as the gods would never admit it.”

“The thing that bothered me was the stuff my dad  _ didn’t _ say.” Leo said. “Like, a couple of times he was talking about the demigods, and how he had so many kids and all. I don’t know. He acted like getting the greatest demigods together was going to be almost impossible – like Hera was trying, but it was a really stupid thing to do, and there was some secret Hephaestus wasn’t supposed to tell me.”

“Chiron was the same way back at camp.” Jason said. “He mentioned a sacred oath not to discuss – something. Coach, you know anything about that?”

“Nah, I’m just a satyr. They don’t tell us the juicy stuff. Especially an old –”

He stopped himself.

“An old guy like you?” Piper asked. “But you’re not that old, are you?”

“Hundred and six,” the coach muttered.

Leo coughed. “Say what?”

“Don’t catch your panties on fire, Valdez. That’s just fifty-three in human years.”

“That’s not all that old, is it?” The Doctor said. “I mean, I’m nine-hundred and eight –”

_ “What?” _ Leo stared at him. “How has this never come up in conversation before?”

“Are you seriously nine-hundred and eight?” Jason asked.

“Give or take a few hundred years, yeah.”

“What do you mean, give or take?” Piper asked. “How could you not know your own age?”

“After the first few hundred years you stop counting.” The Doctor shrugged.

“Anyway,” Coach Hedge broke back in, “I made some enemies on the Council of Cloven Elders. I’ve been a protector a  _ long  _ time. But they started saying I was getting unpredictable. Too violent. Can you imagine?”

“Wow.” Piper said sarcastically, “That’s hard to believe.”

Coach Hedge scowled. “Yeah, then finally we get a good war going with the Titans, and do they put me on the front lines? No! They send me as far away as possible – the Canadian frontier, can you believe it? Then after the war, they put me out to pasture. The Wilderness School. Bah! Like I’m too old to be helpful just because I like playing offense. All those flower-pickers on the Council – talking about nature.”

“I thought satyrs liked nature,” Piper ventured.

“Shoot, I love nature,” Coach Hedge said. “Nature means big things killing and eating little things! And when you’re a – you know – vertically challenged satyr like me, you get in good shape, you carry a big stick, and you don’t take nothing from no one! That’s nature.” He snorted indignantly. “Flower-pickers. Anyway, I hope you got something vegetarian cooking, Valdez. I don’t do flesh.”

“Yeah, Coach. Don’t eat your cudgel.” Leo said, “I got some tofu patties here. Piper’s a vegetarian too. I’ll throw them on in a second.”

There was a long stretch of silence. It was Piper who finally broke it. “We need to talk.” She sat up so that she could face Jason. “I don’t want to hide anything from you guys anymore.”

She took a deep breath. “Three nights before the Grand Canyon trip, I had a dream vision – a giant, telling me my father had been taken hostage. He told me I had to cooperate, or my dad would be killed.”

“This was Enceladus, right?” The Doctor asked. 

Piper nodded wordlessly. 

Coach Hedge whistled. “Big giant. Breathes fire. Not somebody I’d want barbecuing my daddy goat.”

Jason gave him a look, and then encouraged Piper, “Piper, go on. What happened next?”

“I – I tried to reach my dad, but all I got was his personal assistant, and she told me not to worry.”

“Jane?” Leo remembered. “Didn’t Medea say something about controlling her?”

Piper nodded. “To get my dad back, I had to sabotage this quest. I didn’t realize it would be the four of us. Then after we started the quest, Enceladus sent me another warning: He told me he wanted you two dead. He wants me to lead you to a mountain. I don’t know exactly which one, but it’s in the Bay Area – I could see the Golden Gate Bridge from the summit. I have to be there by noon on the solstice, tomorrow. An exchange.”

She looked at her toes, unwilling to meet anyone’s eyes.

“Oh, Piper.” Jason said, wrapping himself around her. “I’m so sorry.”

Leo nodded. “No kidding. You’ve been carrying this around for a week? Piper, we could  _ help  _ you.”

She glared at them. “Why don’t you yell at me or something? I was ordered to kill you!”

“Piper, it’s not your fault.” The Doctor said. 

“And you’ve saved all three of us on this quest. I’d put my life in your hands any day.”

“And me.” The Doctor agreed.

“Same,” Leo said. “Can I have a hug too?”

“You don’t get it!” Piper said. “I’ve probably just killed my dad, telling you this.”

“I doubt it.” Coach Hedge said casually as he ate his tofu burger, folded inside the paper plate like a taco. “Giant hasn’t gotten what he wants yet, so he still needs your dad for leverage. He’ll wait until the deadline passes, see if you show up. He wants you to divert the quest to this mountain, right?”

Piper nodded uncertainly.

“So that means Hera is being kept somewhere else,” Coach Hedge reasoned. “And she has to be saved by the same day. So you have to choose – rescue your dad, or rescue Hera. If you go after Hera,  _ then  _ Enceladus takes care of your dad. Besides, Enceladus would never let you go even if you cooperated. You’re obviously one of the seven in the Great Prophecy.”

“So we have no choice,” she said miserably. “We have to save Hera, or the giant king gets unleashed. That’s our quest. The world depends on it. And Enceladus seems to have ways of watching me. He isn’t stupid. He’ll know if we change course and go the wrong way. He’ll kill my dad.”

“We’re not going to let that happen.” The Doctor promised.

“We don’t have time!” Piper cried. “Besides, it’s a trap.”

“We’re your friends, beauty queen,” Leo said. “We’re not going to let your dad die. We just gotta figure it out.”

Coach Hedge grumbled. “Would help if we knew where this mountain was.”

“Aeolus will know.” The Doctor said.

“The Bay Area has a bad reputation for demigods.” Coach Hedge said. “Old home of the Titans, Mount Othrys, sits over Mount Tam, where Atlas holds up the sky. I hope that’s not the mountain you saw.”

Piper furrowed her eyebrows, as though trying to remember. “I don’t think so. This was inland.”

Jason frowned at the fire. “Bad reputation…that doesn’t seem right. The Bay Area…”

“You think you’ve been there?” Piper asked.

“I…” He looked almost on the edge of a breakthrough, and then the anguish came back into his eyes. “I don’t know. Hedge, what happened to Mount Othrys?”

Coach Hedge took another bite of his paper and burger. “Well, Kronos built a new palace there last summer. Big nasty place, was going to be the headquarters for his new kingdom and all. Weren't any battles there, though. Kronos marched on Manhattan, tried to take Olympus. If I remember right, he left some other Titans in charge of his palace, but after Kronos got defeated in Manhattan, the whole palace just crumbled on its own.”

“No,” Jason said.

Everyone looked at him.

“Jason,” The Doctor said, “What do you mean?”

“That’s not what happened. I –” Jason tensed, as did the Doctor and Coach Hedge. A howl cried out in the distance. “Did you hear that?”

“Yes.” The Doctor said. “We need to go.”

Howls pierced the night.


	20. Wolves and Hunters

“Wolves,” Piper said. “They sound close.”

“They are,” The Doctor murmured.

The Doctor rose, as did Jason who summoned his sword, Leo, and Coach Hedge. Piper tried as well, but she stumbled back down. 

“Stay there,” Jason said to her. “We’ll protect you.”

She gritted her teeth and nodded.

Then, just outside the firelight at the entrance of the cave, wolves edged into view, large and black with ice and snow caked on their fur. Their fangs gleamed and their glowing red eyes looked somewhat intelligent. In the front was a wolf nearly as tall as a horse, his mouth stained as though he’d just made a kill.

From the corner of his eye, the Doctor could see Piper pull her dagger out.

The Doctor stepped forth, placing his arms out, shielding the others.

_ “We’re a pack!” _ Jason suddenly said in Latin.  _ “We’re a pack, you have to respect that.” _

The alpha of the wolf pack curled his lip. One of his lieutenants attempted to advance, but the alpha snapped his ear and all the wolves backed into the dark.

“Dude, I gotta study Latin.” Leo said, his hammer shaking in his hand. “What’d you say, Jason?”

Coach Hedge cursed. “Whatever it was, it was enough. Look.”

The wolves were returning, but the alpha was not with them. They didn’t attack, waiting. There were at least a dozen now, in a rough semicircle just outside the firelight, blocking the cave exit.

The coach hefted his club. “Here’s the plan. I’ll kill them all, and you guys escape.”

“Coach, they’ll rip you apart,” Piper said.

“Nah, I’m good.”

“Stick together,” Jason said. “They respect a pack. And Hedge, no crazy stuff. We’re not leaving you or anyone else behind.”

The wolves parted and a man stepped into the firelight. His hair was greasy and ragged, the colour of soot, topped with a crown of finger bones. His robes were tattered fur – wolf, rabbit, raccoon, deer – that looked uncured and from the smell, not all that fresh. His thin pale skin on his face was pulled tight over his skull. His teeth were sharpened like fangs and his eyes glowed bright red like the wolves’ and fixed on Jason with absolute hatred.

_ “Look,”  _ He said in Latin,  _ “A son of Rome.” _

“Speak English, wolf man!” Coach Hedge bellowed.

The wolf man snarled. “Tell your faun to mind his tongue, son of Rome. Or he’ll be my first snack.”

“Coach, we can do this without violence.” The Doctor said. 

The wolf man studied their group. His nostrils twitched. “So it’s true,” he mused. “A child of Aphrodite, a son of Hephaestus, a faun, a consultant on the Council of Olympus, and a child of Rome, of Lord Jupiter, no less. All together, without killing each other. How interesting.”

“So someone’s told you about us.” The Doctor said.

The man snarled with laughter. “Oh, we’ve been patrolling for you all across the west, hoping we’d be the first to find you. The giant king will reward me well when he rises. I am Lycaon, king of the wolves. And my pack is hungry.”

The wolves snarled in the darkness.

The Doctor could see Leo out of the corner of his eye, putting up his hammer and slipping something else from his tool belt – a glass bottle full of clear liquid.

Lycaon glared at Jason’s sword. “Leave,” Jason ordered. “There’s no food for you here.”

“Unless you like tofu burgers,” Leo offered.

Lycaon bared his fangs. “If I had my way, I’d kill you first, son of Jupiter. Your father made me what I am. I was the most powerful mortal king of Arcadia, with fifty fine sons, and Zeus slew them all with his lightning bolts.”

“I may not agree with Zeus’s decision for your sons,” The Doctor said, “But you deserved everything that you got.”

“Wait, you know this clown?” Jason asked.

“He was the human king of Arcadia.” The Doctor said. “He wanted to test Zeus’s divinity, and served Zeus his son, Nyktimos, whom he had slaughtered and tried to feed him to Zeus.”

“He killed my sons!” Lycaon howled, and all the wolves behind him howled too.

“He turned him into a wolf, the first lycanthrope.”

“The king of the wolves,” Coach Hedge finished. “An immortal, smelly, vicious mutt.”

Lycaon growled. “I will tear you apart, faun!”

“Oh, you want some goat, buddy? ‘Cause I’ll give you goat.”

“Coach,” The Doctor said warningly.

“Lycaon,” Jason said, “you said you  _ wanted  _ to kill me first, but…?”

“Sadly, Child of Rome, you are spoken for. Since this one” – he waggled his claws at Piper – “has failed to kill you, you are to be delivered alive to the Wolf House. One of my compatriots has asked for the honor of killing you herself.”

“Who?” Jason asked.

The wolf king snickered. “Oh, a great admirer of yours. Apparently, you made quite an impression on her. She will take care of you soon enough, and really I cannot complain. Spilling your blood at the Wolf House should mark my new territory quite well. Lupa will think twice about challenging my pack.”

Piper struggled to her feet. “You’re going to leave now,” she said, “before we destroy you.”

Lycaon’s red eyes crinkled with humor. “A brave try, girl. I admire that. Perhaps I’ll make your end quick. Only the son of Jupiter is needed alive. The rest of you, I’m afraid, you are dinner.”

Jason pushed himself in front of the Doctor, taking his position. “You’re not killing anyone, wolf man. Not without going through me.”

Lycaon howled and extended his claws. Jason slashed at him, but the golden sword passed striaght through him.

Lycaon laughed. “Gold, bronze, steel – none of these are good against my wolves, son of Jupiter.”

“Do we have any silver?” The Doctor asked.

“No,” Jason said. 

Wolves leaped into the firelight. Coach Hedge charged forth with an elated “Woot!”

But the Doctor lifted his sonic and let out a high pitched wail.

Jason, Leo, Piper, and Coach Hedge clutched their ears, the wolves cried out in anger. One jumped forth, trying to snap it out of the Doctor's hand.

He missed the hand itself, but managed to knock the Sonic across the cave.

“Doctor…?” Jason murmured.

“Don’t worry, It’s a plan.”

“Well, your plan failed.”

“Not yet it didn’t.”

“I got them now!” Coach Hedge said, but it was Leo who struck next, throwing his glass bottle. It shattered on the ground, splattering liquid all over the wolves – the unmistakable smell of gasoline. He shot a burst of fire at the puddle, and a wall of flames erupted.

Wolves yelped and retreated, and several caught fire and were forced to run back into the snow. Even Lycaon looked uneasily at the barrier of flames now separating his wolves from the Doctor and the demigods.

“Aw, c’mon,” Coach Hedge complained, “I can’t hit them if they’re way over there.”

Every time a wolf came closer, Leo shot a new wave of fire from his hands, but each effort seemed to make him a little more tired, and the gasoline was already dying down.

“I can’t summon any more gas!” Leo warned. His face then turned red. “Wow, that came out wrong. I mean the  _ burning  _ kind. Gonna take the tool belt a while to recharge. What you got, man?”

“Nothing,” Jason said. “Not even a weapon that works.”

“Lightning?” Piper suggested.

Jason concentrated, but nothing happened. “I think the snowstorm is interfering, or something.”

“Unleash the venti!” Piper said.

“Then we’ll have nothing to give Aeolus,” Jason said. “We’ll have come all this way for nothing.”

Lycaon laughed. “I can smell your fear. A few more minutes of life, heroes. Pray to whatever gods you wish. Zeus did not grant me mercy, and you will have none from me.”

The flames began to sputter out. Jason cursed and dropped his sword, crouching down and preparing for hand-to-hand combat. The Doctor dove across the room to retrieve his Sonic. Leo pulled his hammer from his pack, Piper raised her dagger, and Coach Hedge hefted his club, looking excited. 

Then, a ripping sound cut through the wind and a silver arrow lodged itself into the neck of the nearest wolf. The wolf writhed and fell, melting into a puddle of shadow.

More arrows rained down and wolves fell. The pack broke in confusion. An arrow flashed towards Lycaon, but the wolf king caught it in midair. He then yelped in pain, and when he dropped the arrow, it left a charred, smoking gash across his palm. Another arrow caught him in the shoulder, and the wolf king staggered.

“Curse them!” Lycaon yelled. He growled at his pack, and the wolves turned and ran. Lycaon fixed Jason with a glare. “This isn’t over, boy.”

The wolf king disappeared into the night.

The Doctor could hear more wolves baying, but the sound was different, less threatening, a hunting dog. A smaller white wolf burst into the cave, followed by two more.

“Kill it?” Coach Hedge suggested.

“No,” The Doctor ordered, kneeling down and beginning to scratch the nearest one behind the ears. “Hello, Archie, oh you’re such a good boy!”

“You know this wolf?” Piper asked.

“Archie?” Leo raised an eyebrow.

“Short for Archimedes.”

It was then that the Hunters appeared. A troop of them in white and gray winter camouflage, at least half a dozen of them, all carrying bows with quivers of glowing silver arrows on their backs.

Their faces were covered with parka hoods, but the Doctor knew each and every one of them. One, a little taller than the rest, crouched in the firelight and snatched up the arrow that had wounded Lycaon’s hand.

“So close.” She turned to her companions. “Phoebe, stay with me. Watch the entrance. The rest of you, follow Lycaon. We can’t lose him now. I’ll catch up with you.”

The other hunters mumbled in agreement, waved at the Doctor, and headed after Lycaon’s pack.

The girl in white turned towards them, her face still hidden in her parka hood.

“I’ve gotta say, Doctor, your Sonic signal was really helpful. I don’t know if we would’ve pinpointed him so quick if you hadn’t.”

“Well, you certainly helped us out as well.”

The girl nodded and looked around. “Is everyone all right? No one got bit?”

“You’re her,” Piper suddenly said. “You’re Thalia.”

Thalia tensed, but instead of reaching for her bow (admittedly, as the Doctor expected), she pulled down her parka hood to reveal her spiky black hair with a silver tiara across her brow. 

“Do I know you?” Thalia asked.

“Thalia,” The Doctor said slowly, “This is Piper, Leo, Coach Hedge and Jason.”

Jason stepped forth. “Thalia,” He said, his voice trembling. “I’m your brother.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a note, I know Archimedes is pronounced (Ark-ah-meet-ees), but I thought Archie was better than Arki.


	21. A Chat with Thalia

Jason and Thalia stared at each other, stunned. And then Thalia rushed forth and hugged him.

“My gods! She told me you were dead!” She gripped Jason’s face, taking in every detail. “Thank Arrtemis, it _is_ you. That little scar on your lip – you tried to eat a stapler when you were two!”

Leo laughed. “Seriously?”

Coach Hedge nodded approvingly. “Staplers – excellent source of iron.”

“W-wait,” Jason stammered. “Who told you I was dead? What happened?”

At the cave entrance, Kyon – another one of the wolves – barked, _“You don’t have much time.”_

Thalia quickly translated for her. “She’s right,” the girl said, “But we _have_ to talk. Let’s sit.”

Piper collapsed, Coach Hedge catching her.

Thalia rushed over. “What’s wrong with her? Ah – nevermind. I see. Hypothermia. Ankle.” She frowned at the satyr. “Don’t you know nature healing?”

The coach scoffed. “Why do you think she looks _this_ good? Can’t you smell the Gatorade?”

Thalia looked at Leo, “You and the satyr, take this girl to my friend at the entrance. Phoebe’s an excellent healer.”

“It’s cold out there!” Hedge complained. “I’ll freeze my horns off.”

“Come on, Hedge.” Leo said. “These guys need time to talk.”

“Humph. Fine,” the satyr muttered. “Didn’t even get to brain anybody.”

The three of them disappeared out the entrance.

The Doctor, Thalia, and Jason sat down around the fire. 

“So, how’ve the Hunters been?” The Doctor broke the silence.

“We’ve been all right,” Thalia said, “We’ve been trying to track Lycaon for a long time.”

“Thalia,” Jason finally said, “What happened to our family? Who told you I was dead?”

Thalia tugged at a silver bracelet on her wrist. “Do you remember anything?”

Jason shook his head. “Both the Doctor and I have missing memories. I don’t remember anything before three days ago when I woke up on a bus with Leo, Piper, and the Doctor.”

“You’re missing memories too?” Thalia asked the Doctor.

“There’s a gap that I can’t remember,” The Doctor admitted. “No one could have taken them without my admission, though. For some reason, I allowed for Hera to take a portion of my memories.”

Thalia tensed. “Hera? How do you know that?”

Jason began to explain their quest, the Doctor making comments here and there.

Thalia listened emotionlessly without surprise. When Jason mentioned King Midas, she cursed in Ancient Greek. “I knew we should've burned down his mansion,” she said. “That man’s a menace. But we were so intent on following Lycaon – Well, I’m glad you got away. So Hera’s been…what, hiding you all these years?”

“I don’t know.” Jason brought out the photo from his pocket. “She left me just enough memory to recognize your face.”

Thalia looked at the picture, her expression softening. “I’d forgotten about that. I left it in Cabin One, didn’t I?”

Jason nodded. “I think Hera wanted for us to meet. When we landed here, at this cave…I had a feeling it was important. Like I knew you were close by. Is that crazy?”

“Jason,” Thalia said, “when you’re dealing with the gods, _nothing_ is too crazy. But you can’t trust Hera, especially since we’re children of Zeus. She _hates_ all children of Zeus.”

“But she said something about Zeus giving her my life as a peace offering. Does that make any sense?”

The colour drained from Thalia’s face. “Oh, gods. Mother wouldn’t have…You don’t remember – No, of course you don’t.”

“What?” Jason asked.

Thalia sighed. “Jason…I’m not sure how to say this. Our mom wasn’t exactly stable. She caught Zeus’s eye because she was a television actress, and she _was_ beautiful, but she didn’t handle the fame well. She drank, pulled stupid stunts. She was always in the tabloids. She could never get enough attention. Even before you were born, she and I argued all the time. She…she knew Dad was Zeus, and I think that was too much for her to take. It was like the ultimate achievement for her to attract the lord of the sky, and she couldn’t accept it when he left. The thing about the gods…well, they don’t hang around.”

Jason’s face became more and more devastated as Thalia described their mother.

“So…” he didn’t seem able to finish the question.

Thalia offered her hand, and Jason took it.

“When I was about seven,” she said. “Zeus started visiting Mom again. I think he felt bad about wrecking her life, and he seemed – different somehow. A little older and sterner, more fatherly toward me. For a while, Mom improved. She loved having Zeus around, bringing her presents, causing the sky to rumble. She always wanted more attention. That’s the year you were born. Mom…well, I never got along with her, but you gave me a reason to hang around. You were so cute. And I didn’t trust Mom to look after you. Of course, Zeus eventually stopped coming by again. He probably couldn’t stand Mom’s demands anymore, always pestering him to let her visit Olympus, or to make her immortal or eternally beautiful. When he left for good, Mom got more and more unstable. That was about the time the monsters started attacking me. Mom blamed Hera. She claimed the goddess was coming after you too – that Hera had barely tolerated my birth, but _two_ demigod children from the same family was too big an insult. Mom even said she hadn’t wanted to name you Jason, but Zeus insisted, as a way to appease Hera because the goddess liked that name. I didn’t know what to believe.”

“How did we get seperated?” Jason asked.

Thalia squeezed his hand. “If I’d know you were alive…gods, things would’ve been so different. But when you were two, Mom packed us in the car for a family vacation. We drove up north, toward the wine country, to this park she wanted to show us. I remember thinking it was strange because Mom never took us anywhere, and she was acting super nervous. I was holding your hand, walking you toward this big building in the middle of the park, and…” She took a shaky breath. “Mom told me to go back to the car and get the picnic basket. I didn’t want to leave you alone with her, but it was only for a few minutes. When I came back…Mom was kneeling on the stone steps, hugging herself and crying. She said – she said you were gone. She said Hera claimed you and you were as good as dead. I didn’t know what she’d done. I was afraid she’d completely lost her mind. I ran all over the place looking for you, but you’d just vanished. She had to drag me away, kicking and screaming. For the next few days I was hysterical. I don’t remember everything, but I called the police on Mom and they questioned her for a long time. Afterward, we fought. She told me I’d betrayed her, that I should support her, like _she_ was the only one who mattered. Finally, I couldn’t stand it. Your disappearance was the last straw. I ran away from home, and I never went back, not even when Mom died a few years ago. I thought you were gone forever. I never told anyone about you – not even Annabeth or Luke, my two best friends. It was just too painful.”

“Chiron knew.” Jason’s voice sounded far away. “When I got to camp, he took one look at me and said, ‘You should be dead.’”

“That doesn’t make sense,” Thalia insisted. “I never told him.”

Jason hesitated. “But where have I been? How could I be missing all that time? And the Roman stuff…”

Thalia frowned. “The Roman stuff?”

“He knows Latin,” The Doctor said, “Fluently, properly. And I would know. I mean, he’s got a bit of an accent, but that’s bound to happen with these types of things.”

“And I know all the gods by their Roman names.” Jason added. “And I’ve got this tattoo.” 

Thalia plucked her bowstring. “Latin, Zeus sometimes spoke Latin, the second time he stayed with Mom. Like I said, he seemed different, more formal.”

“That must've been his Roman aspect.” The Doctor said. “And that may be why Jason’s a child of Jupiter.”

“I’ve never heard of something like that happening.” Thalia said.

“Neither have I,” The Doctor agreed, “But that doesn’t mean it’s impossible.”

“Still, it doesn’t explain how you’ve survived without Camp Half-Blood,” Thalia pointed out. “A child of Zeus, or Jupiter, whatever you want to call him – you woul’ve been hounded by monsters. If you were on your own, you should've died years ago. I know _I_ wouldn't have been able to survive without friends. You would've needed training, a safe haven –”

“But you have training,” The Doctor said, “When you fight, the techniques you use are distinctly Roman, specifically, Roman military. It may be partially instinctual, but there’s no way you could fight the way you do without it. Not to mention, the child of Mercury, the one the Cyclopes spoke of. It’s possible that there is a Roman camp, something like Camp Half-Blood.”

“I’ve been all over the country,” Thalia mused. “I’ve never seen any evidence of that. Still…”

“What?” Jason asked.

Thalia shook her head. “I’ll have to talk to the goddess. Maybe Artemis will guide us.”

“She’s still talking to you?” Jason asked. “Most of the gods have gone silent.”  
“Artemis follows her own rules,” The Doctor said.

Thalia nodded. “She has to be careful not to let Zeus know, but she thinks Zeus is being ridiculous closing Olympus. She’s the one who set us on the trial of Lycaon. She said we’d find a lead to a missing friend of ours.”

“Percy Jackson.” The Doctor said.

Thalia nodded.

“So what would Lycaon have to do with us?” Jason asked.

“We need to find out soon,” Thalia admitted. “If your deadline is tomorrow, we’re wasting time. Aeolus could tell you –”

Kyon appeared again at the doorway and yipped.

_“You’ll lose the trail.”_

“I have to get moving.” Thalia stood. “Otherwise I’ll lose the other Hunters’ trail. First, though, I’ll take you to Aeolus’s palace.”

“If you can’t, it’s okay.” Jason said awkwardly.

“Oh, please.” Thalia smiled, helping him up. “I haven’t had a brother in years. I think I can stand a few minutes with you before you get annoying. Now, let’s go!”


	22. The Bridge of Aeolus

Phoebe had set up a silver tent pavilion right outside the cave. Inside was a kerosene heater that was keeping Coach Hedge, Leo, and Piper warm and dry with loads of throw pillows and soft blankets. Piper was looking much better, decked out in a new parka, gloves, as well as camouflage trousers. She, Coach Hedge, Leo, and Phoebe were drinking hot chocolate and talking.

“Boys,” Phoebe sniffed unhappily as Jason, the Doctor, and Thalia entered.

“It’s all right, Phoebe,” Thalia said. “They’ll need extra coats.”

Phoebe grumbled, but soon retrieved a few parkas for Leo, Jason, and the Doctor. 

“Cheers!” Coach Hedge said, crunching down on his plastic thermos cup.

“That cannot be good for your intestines,” Leo said.

Thalia patted Piper on the back. “You up for moving?”

Piper nodded. “Thanks to Phoebe, yeah. You guys are really good at this wilderness survival thing. I feel like I could run ten miles.”

Thalia nodded to the Doctor approvingly. “She’s tough for a child of Aphrodite. I like this one.”

“Hey, I could run ten miles too,” Leo volunteered. “Tough Hephaestus kid here. Let’s hit it.”

“The Hunters don’t like men.” The Doctor murmured.

“Yeah, no kidding.” Leo said, indicating to Phoebe, who was glaring distastefully at him.

It took Phoebe six seconds to break camp, the tent self-collapsed into a small square that could easily slide into her pocket.

Thalia ran uphill through the snow, hugging a tiny path on the side of the mountain.

Coach Hedge leapt around happily, coaxing them on. “Come on, pick up the pace! Let’s chant.  _ I’ve got a girl in Kalamazoo –” _

“Let’s not.” Thalia snapped.

The Doctor and Thalia spoke as they ran on, attempting to catch up, Thalia filling him in on what the Hunters were up to now.

Finally, they stopped. Leo failed to notice this, and slammed into Thalia, nearly sending them both down the side of the mountain. Fortunately for the both of them, Thalia was light on her feet and steadied herself as well as Leo, then pointed up.

“That,” Leo choked, “Is a really large rock.”

Indeed, they stood near the summit of Pikes Peak, and below them the world was blanketed in clouds. The air was thin, and the Doctor could see the humans struggle to breathe. Night had set in, but a full moon shone and the stars lit the sky. Stretching out to the north and south, peaks of other mountains rose from the clouds like islands.

But the real view was above them. Hovering in the sky, about four hundred meters above them, was a massive free-floating island of glowing purple stone. The sides were rugged cliffs, riddled with caves, and every so often a gust of wind burst out. At the top of the rock, brass walls ringed a fortress.

The only thing that connected Pikes Peak to the floating island was a narrow bridge of condensed ice that glistened in the moonlight. As the winds changed direction, the bridge snaked around – blurring and thinning in some places, even breaking into a dotted line like the vapor trail.

“We’re not crossing that.” Leo said.

Thalia shrugged. “I’m not a big fan of heights, I’ll admit. But if you want to get to Aeolus’s fortress, this is the only way.”

“Is the fortress always hanging there?” Piper asked. “How can people not notice it sitting on top of Pikes Peak?”

“The Mist.” The Doctor and Thalia said in unison. 

“Still,” Thalia went on. “Mortals do notice it indirectly. Some days, Pikes Peak looks purple. People say it’s a trick of the light, but it’s actually the colour of Aeolus’s palace, reflecting off the mountain face.”

“It’s enormous,” Jason said.

Thalia laughed. “You should see Olympus, little brother.”

“You’re serious? You’ve been there?”

Thalia grimaced. It was clearly an unpleasant memory. “We should go across in two different groups. The bridge is fragile.”

“That’s reassuring,” Leo said. “Jason, can’t you just fly us up there?”

Thalia laughed, then seemed to realize Leo’s question wasn’t a joke. “Wait…Jason, you can  _ fly _ ?”

Jason gazed up at the floating fortress. “Well, sort of. More like I can control the winds. But the winds up here are so strong. I’m not sure I’d want to try. Thalia, you mean…you can’t fly?”

For a moment, Thalia looked genuinely terrified, but then managed to regain her composure. “Truthfully, I’ve never tried.” She admitted. “Might be better if we stuck to the bridge.”

Coach Hedge tapped the ice vapor trail with his hoof, then jumped onto the bridge. It held his weight. “Easy! I’ll go first. Piper, come on, girl. I’ll give you a hand.”

“No, that’s okay,” Piper started to say, but the coach grabbed her hand and dragged her up the bridge.

“Well, Allons-y!” The Doctor grinned, stepping on himself, and gesturing for Thalia to join him.

Thalia boldly stepped forth, looking back to Phoebe. “I’ll be back soon. Go find the others. Tell them I’m on my way.”  
“You sure?” Phoebe narrowed her eyes at Leo and Jason.

“Come on, I’m with the Doctor.” Thalia said calmly. “If he trusts them, then so do I.”

She hesitated, then nodded as if agreeing. She then raced down the mountain path, the white wolves at her heels.

Leo and Jason joined the Doctor and Thalia on the bridge.

“Just be careful where you step,” Thalia said. “It hardly ever breaks.”

“It hasn’t met me yet,” Leo muttered.

Halfway up was where things went wrong. Piper and Coach Hedge had already made it safely to the top, when Leo stopped in his tracks.

“Why do they have a bridge?”

Thalia frowned. “Leo, this isn’t a good place to stop. What do you mean?”

“They’re wind spirits,” Leo said. “Can’t they fly?”

“Good question.” The Doctor said, raising his eyebrows at Thalia, “See, I told you they’re good.”

Thalia rolled her eyes. “The wind spirits don’t like to anchor to the earth, but sometimes it’s necessary. Like now. They know you’re coming.”

Leo was thinking deeply. The Doctor could see that his shoes were smoking.

“Leo?” Jason said. “What are you thinking?”

“Oh, gods,” Thalia said. “Keep moving. Look at your feet.”

Leo shuffled back, noticing the smoke for the first time, the ice thinning beneath his feet.

“Leo, stop it,” Jason warned. “You’re going to melt it.”

“I’ll try,” Leo said, but went on. “Listen, Jason, what did Hera call you in that dream? She called you a  _ bridge _ .”

“Leo, what do you mean?” The Doctor asked.

“Cool down,” Thalia said. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, but the bridge is –”

“Just listen,” Leo insisted. “If Jason is a bridge, what’s he connecting? Maybe two different places that normally don’t get along – like the air palace and the ground. You had to be somewhere before this, right? And Hera said you were an exchange.”

“An exchange.” Thalia’s eyes widened. “Oh, gods.”

“What are you talking about?” Jason asked.

Thalia murmured a prayer. “I understand now why Artemis sent me here. Jason – she told me to hunt for Lycaon and I would find a clue about Percy.  _ You  _ are the clue. Artemis wanted us to meet so I could hear your story.”

“Bloody hell, Leo, you’re brilliant.” The Doctor breathed.

“I don’t understand,” Jason protested. “I don’t have a story. I don’t remember anything.”

“But Leo’s right,” Thalia said. “It’s all connected. If we just knew where –”

“Jason,” The Doctor said. “The ruined house from your dreams. The Wolf House, Thalia, do you know where that is?”

Thalia nearly choked. “The Wolf House? Jason, why didn’t you tell me that!  _ That’s  _ where they’re keeping Hera?”

Then, the bridge dissolved. The Doctor managed to grab Leo in time, just managing to catch onto his jacket and pull him to safety. The Doctor pushed him towards Jason, “Run!”

The two scrambled to the top. “Thalia!”

“It’s okay, just go!” She shouted, backing down the bridge as it crumbled. “Find out where the giant is keeping Piper’s dad. Save him! I’ll take the Hunters to the Wolf House and hold it until you can get there. We can do both!”

“Where  _ is _ the Wolf House?” The Doctor asked.

“Jason knows! I’ll see you there, I promise.”

She then turned and raced down the dissolving bridge. The Doctor rushed to the top, the ice vapor thinning beneath his feet. When he reached the floating island, Leo and Jason both pulled him aboard just as the last of the bridge vanished.

“What happened?” Piper demanded.

“We’ve got less than twenty four hours to rescue Hera and Piper’s father. Allons-y!”


	23. Welcome Back to the Weather Channel

“Come on, cupcakes!” Coach Hedge encouraged as they climbed. “Only a few thousand more steps!”

Ever since Thalia had left, Jason had been in a foul mood. Leo kept swatting his own legs, checking for signs that his trousers were aflame. But fortunately for all of them, he wasn’t steaming anymore.

Finally, they arrived at the top of the island. Bronze walls marched all the way around the fortress grounds, though attacking such a place seemed…unlikely. Five meter high gates opened for them, and the road of polished purple stone led up to the main citadel – a white columned rotunda in a Greek style, apart from the cluster of satellite dishes and radio towers on the roof.

“That’s bizarre,” Piper said.

“Guess you can’t get cable on a floating island,” Leo said. “Dang, check this guy’s front yard.”

The rotunda sat in the center of a massive circle. The grounds were divided into four sections, each one representing a season. The first section on their right was an icy wasteland with baren trees and a frozen lake. Snowmen rolled across the landscape as the wind blew, so that they looked alive.

To their left was an autumn park with golden and red trees. Mounds of leaves blew into patterns – gods, humans, animals that ran after each other before scattering back into leaves.

In the distance, there were two more areas behind the rotunda. One was a green pasture with sheep made of clouds. The last section was a desert where tumbleweeds scratched out strange patterns in the sands – Greek letters, smiley faces, and a large advertisement that read:  _ WATCH AEOLUS NIGHTLY! _

“One section for each of the wind gods.” The Doctor smiled.

“I’m loving that pasture.” Coach Hedge licked his lips. “You guys mind –”

“Go ahead,” Jason encouraged, then as the satyr frolicked off, turned to the Doctor and said, “I think it’ll be hard enough getting on Aeolus’s good side without Coach waving his club and screaming, ‘Die!’”

The Doctor hummed in agreement and made his way down the road towards the steps of the palace, Leo, Jason, and Piper following behind. They passed through the front doors into a white marble foyer decorated with purple banners that read OLYMPIAN WEATHER CHANNEL, and some that simply read OW!

“Hello!” A woman most literally floated up to them. She was lovely, almost elven in appearance – petite, slightly pointed ears, an ageless face that could’ve been sixteen or thirty. Her brown eyes twinkled cheerfully. And though there was no wind, her dark hair blew back, her white gown billowed around her, and her feet didn’t touch the floor. Her body was transparent, almost gelth-like, yet her features were more malleable, her shape fading in and out like fog. She had a white tablet computer in her hand. “Are you from Lord Zeus?” She asked. “We’ve been expecting you.”

Jason faltered. “Are you a ghost?”

Her smile turned into a pout. “I’m an –”

“An aura.” The Doctor smiled, “A wind nymph. I’ve never met a wind nymph before, that’s brilliant.”

A pink hugh lit up the nymph's face.

“My name is Mellie.” She then glared at Jason. “We don’t have  _ ghosts. _ ”

“Ignorance must be forgiven, my lady.” The Doctor said, kissing her hand, “Not all can be as knowledgeable as you.”

The blush returned to her cheeks.

“Oh, well, then I suppose he can be forgiven.” She swooped around Jason, “So you  _ are  _ from Zeus?”

“Er,” Jason said, “I’m the son of Zeus, yeah.”

“Excellent! Please, right this way.”

She led them through some security doors into another lobby, consulting her tablet as she floated. She didn’t look where she was going, but it didn’t matter all that much, as she drifted straight though a marble column without conflict.

“How are you so good with nymphs and mythological dudes and stuff?” Leo asked quietly as they walked.

“It’s just about basic respect,” The Doctor replied, “Just knowing who they are and being open to their cultures and customs. It comes with experience.”

"I think you do a little more than 'be open.'"

“We’re out of prime time now, so that’s good,” Mellie said. “I can fit you in right before his 11:12 spot.”

“Brilliant.” The Doctor grinned.

The lobby was an interesting place. The winds blasted around them as though they were being pushed through an invisible crowd. Doors blew open and slammed by themselves. Paper airplanes of all different sizes and shapes sped around, and other aurai would occasionally pluck them out of the air, unfold and read them, then toss them back into the air, where the planes would refold themselves and continue to fly.

An older woman fluttered past with a wrinkled face with thick black hair tied in a hairnet, and arms shaped more like those of a chicken, as well as a large feathered body and talons for her feet.

“Not an aura?” Jason asked.

Mellie laughed. “That’s a harpy, of course. Our, ah, ugly stepsisters, I suppose you would say. Don’t you have harpies on Olympus? They’re spirits of violent gusts, unlike us aurai. We’re all gentle breezes.”

She batted her eyes at the Doctor. 

“I don’t doubt it.”

She giggled, clearly pleased with the answer.

“So,” Piper said, “you were taking us to see Aeolus?”

Mellie led them through a set of doors, not unlike an airlock. Above the interior door, a green light blinked.

“We have a few minutes before he starts,” Mellie said cheerfully. “He probably won’t kill you if we go in now. Come along!”   
  


The central section of Aeolus’s fortress was massive with a soaring domed roof covered in silver. Television equipment floated through the air – cameras spotlights, set pieces, potted plants. There was no floor, Leo nearly fell into the chasm before he was pulled back by Jason.

“Holy –” Leo gulped. “Hey, Mellie. A little warning next time!”

A massive circular pit plunged into the heart of the mountain. It was around a kilometer deep, honeycombed with caves. Some of the tunnels most likely led directly outside to where the winds blasted from on Pikes Peak. Other caves were sealed with a glistening glass. The cavern bustled with harpies, aurai, and paper airplanes.

“Oh, my,” Mellie gasped. “I’m so sorry.” She unclipped a walkie-talkie from within her robes and spoke into it: “Hello, sets? Is that Nuggets? Hi, Nuggets. Could we get a floor in the main studio, please? Yes, a solid one. Thanks.”

Just a few seconds later, an army of harpies rose from the pit – three dozen or so, all carrying squares of various building material. They went to work hammering and gluing – using large quantities of duct tape – and in no time made a makeshift floor, snaking out over the chasm made of plywood, marble blocks, carpet squares, and wedges of grass sod.

“This can’t be safe,” Jason said.

“Oh, it is!” Mellie assured him. “The harpies are very good.”

The Doctor was the first to step forth. The floor held.

Jason stepped on next. Then came Piper, and finally Leo.

Mellie led them towards the middle of a chamber, where a loose sphere of flat-panel video screens floated around a control center. A man hovered inside, checking monitors and reading paper airplane messages.

The man paid no attention as Mellie brought the four of them forth. She pushed a hundred centimeter telly from the way and led them into the control area. 

Leo whistled. “I  _ got  _ to get a room like this.”

The floating screens showed all sorts of telly. Some the Doctor recognized, some he didn’t. 

At the far end of the sphere was a silky blue backdrop with cameras and studio lights floating around it.

The man in the center was talking into an earpiece. He had a remote in each hand and was pointing them at various screens. He wore a sky-blue business suit, dappled with clouds that changed and darkened and moved across the fabric. He looked to be in his sixties with pure white hair, but he wore makeup and had a perfected face. But his eyes. As always, the Doctor could see the age in his old eyes. He muttered things into his phone, and his mouth kept twitching.

Mellie floated towards him. “Ah, sir, Mr. Aeolus, these demigods –”

“Hold it!” He held up a hand to silence her, then pointed at one of the screens. “Watch!”

It was a sort of storm-chaser program, where people would chase after tornados. The Doctor watched as a Jeep plowed directly into a funnel cloud and got tossed into the sky.

Aeolus shrieked with delight. “The Disaster Channel. People do that  _ on purpose _ !” He turned towards Jason with a mad grin. “Isn’t that amazing? Let’s watch it again.”

“Um, sir,” Mellie said, “This is Jason, son of –”

“Yes, yes, I remember,” Aeolus said. “You’re back. How did it go?”

Jason hesitated. “Sorry? I think you’ve mistaken me –”

“No, no, Jason Grace, aren’t you? It was – what – last year? You were on your way to fight a sea monster, I believe.”

“I – I don’t remember.”

Aeolus laughed. “Must not have been a very good sea monster! No, I remember every hero who’s ever come to me for aid. Odysseus – gods, he docked at my island for a month! At least you only stayed a few days. Now, watch this video. These ducks get sucked straight into —”

“Sir,” Mellie interrupted. “Two minutes to air.”

“Air!” Aeolus exclaimed. “I love air. How do I look? Makeup!”

Immediately, a small tornado of brushes, blotters, and cotton balls descended on Aeolus. They blurred across his face in a cloud of flesh-toned smoke until his colouration was even more artificial than before. Wind swirled through his hair and left it sticking up like a Christmas tree.”

“Mr. Aeolus.” Jason slipped off the golden rucksack. “We brought you these rogue storm spirits.”

“Did you!” Aeolus looked at the bag as though it was a gift from a fan – something he was not all that interested in. “Well, how nice.”

Leo nudged him, and Jason offered the bag. Boreas sent us to capture them for you. We hope you’ll accept them and stop – you know – ordering demigods to be killed.”

Aeolus laughed, and looked incredulously at Mellie. “Demigods be killed – did I order that?”

Mellie checked her computer tablet. “Yes, sir, fifteenth of September. ‘Storm spirits released by the death of Typhon, demigods to be held responsible,’ etc…yes, a general order for them all to be killed.”

“Oh, pish,” Aeolus said. “I was just grumpy. Rescind that order, Mellie, and um, who’s on guard duty – Teriyaki? – Teri, take these storm spirits down to cell block Fourteen E, will you?”

A harpy swooped down and snatched the golden bag, spirling into the abyss.

Aeolus grinned at Jason. “Now, sorry about that kill-on-sight business. But gods, I really was mad, wasn’t I?” His face suddenly darkened, as did his suit, the lapels flashing with lightning. “You know…I remember now. Almost seemed like a voice was telling me to give that order. A little cold tingle on the back of my neck.”

“A…um, voice in your head, sir?” Jason asked.

“Yes. How odd. Mellie,  _ should  _ we kill them?”

“No, sir,” Mellie said patiently. “They just brought us the storm spirits, which makes everything all right.”

“Of course.” Aeolus laughed. “Sorry. Mellie, let’s send the demigods something nice. A box of chocolates, perhaps.”

“A box of chocolates to  _ every  _ demigod in the world, sir?”

“No, too expensive. Never mind. Wait, it’s time! I’m on!”

Aeolus flew off towards the blue screen as newscast music began to play.

The Doctor, Piper, Jason, and Leo exchanged a look.

“Is he always like that?” The Doctor asked Mellie.

She smiled sheepishly. “Well, you know what they say. If you don’t like his mood, wait five minutes. That expression ‘whichever way the wind blows’ – that was based on him.”

“What about that thing with the sea monster,” Jas said, “ _ Was  _ I here before?”

Mellie blushed. “I’m sorry, I don’t remember. I’m Mr. Aeolus’s new assistant. I’ve been with him longer than most, but still – not that long.”

“How long do his assistants usually last?” Piper asked.

“Oh…” Mellie thought for a moment. “I’ve been doing this for…twelve hours?”

A voice blared from the floating speakers: “And now, weather every twelve minutes! Here’s your forecaster for Olympian Weather – the OW! Channel – Aeolus!”

Lights blazed on Aeolus, who was now standing before his blue screen with a pristine smile plastered onto his face.

“Hello, Olympus! Aeolus, master of the winds here, with weather every twelve! We’ll have a low-pressure system moving over Florida today, so expect milder temperatures since Demeter wishes to spare the citrus farmers!” He gestured to the blue screen, presumably a map. “Along the eastern seaboard – oh, hold on.” He tapped his earpiece. “Sorry, folks! Poseidon is angry with Miami today, so it looks like that Florida freeze is back on! Sorry, Demeter. Over in the Midwest, I’m not sure what St. Louis did to offend Zeus, but you can expect winter storms! Boreas himself is being called down to punish the area with ice. Bad news, Missouri! No, wait. Hephaestus feels sorry for central Missouri, so you all will have much more moderate temperatures and sunny skies.”

“I mean, I knew the gods weren’t exactly organised, but this…” Leo murmured.

“They’re not the most decisive of creatures.” The Doctor agreed.

“But this can’t be right,” Jason protested. “Weather isn’t  _ this _ random.”

Mellie smirked. “And how often are the mortal weathermen right? Looking for patterns that aren’t there. They talk about fronts and air pressure and moisture, but the weather surprises them all the time. At least Aeolus tells us  _ why  _ it’s so unpredictable. Very hard job, trying to appease all the gods at once. It’s enough to drive anyone…”

She trailed off, but she didn’t need to finish her sentence. Aeolus was quite mad. And understandably so.

“And that’s the weather,” Aeolus concluded. “See you in twelve minutes, because I’m sure it’ll change!”

The lights shut off, and the video monitors returned to the random coverage, and just for a moment, Aeolus’s face sagged with weariness. He then seemed to remember he had guests, and the smile returned to his face.

“So, you brought me some rogue storm spirits,” he said. “I suppose…thanks! And did you want something else? I assume so. Demigods always do.”

“Um, sir,” Mellie said, “This is Zeus’s son.”

“Yes, yes. I know that. I said I remembered him from before.”

“But, sir, they’re here from  _ Olympus _ .”

Aeolus looked stunned, then began to laugh loudly. “You mean you’re here on behalf of your father this time? Finally! I  _ knew  _ they would send someone to renegotiate my contract!”

“Um, what?” Jason said.

“Oh, thank goodness!” Aeolus sighed with relief. “It’s been what, three thousand years since Zeus made me master of the winds. Not that I’m ungrateful, of course! But really, my contract was so vague. Obviously I’m immortal, but ‘master of the winds.’ What does that mean? Am I a nature spirit? A demigod? A god? I  _ want  _ to be god of the winds, because the benefits are  _ so  _ much better. Can we start with that?”

“Aeolus,” The Doctor said calmly, seeing the mystified face of Jason, “We’re not here to promote you, but –” he said, just as Aeolus was about to open his mouth, “But I  _ am  _ a consultant on the Council of Olympus.” He smiled. “I could put in a good word for you if you can help us with our problem.”

Aeolus’s false smile got even bigger. “A proper representative, then.” He then narrowed his eyes, “It depends what it is you need from me.”

“Just some information,” The Doctor said, “Rumor has it, you’re absolutely brilliant.”

“He’s good.” The Doctor could hear Mellie murmur quietly to Piper, Leo, and Jason.

“Well, I suppose I do know everything.” He said cheerily, “Like, for instance, I know that  _ this  _ business here,” He waggled his fingers at the four of them. “This harebrained scheme of Juno’s to bring you all together is likely to end in bloodshed. As for you, Piper McLean, I know your father is in serious trouble.” He held out his hand, and a scrap of paper fluttered into his grasp. It was a photo of Piper’s father, a man the Doctor recognized from a few old Earth movies.

Piper took the photo in her trembling hands. “This – this is from his wallet.”  
“Yes,” Awolus said. “All things lost in the wind eventually come to me – the gossip I pick up.” He raised his eyebrows. “The photo blew away when the Earthborn captured him.”

“The Earthborn?” The Doctor asked.

Aeolus waved aside the question and narrowed his eyes at Leo. “Now,  _ you,  _ son of Hephaestus…yes, I see your future.” Another paper fell into his hands – an old tattered child’s drawing done in crayons.

Leo stared at it, staggering back.

“Leo?” The Doctor said warily, “Leo, what is it?”

“Something I – I drew when I was a kid.” He folded it quickly and put it in his jacket. “It’s…yeah, it’s nothing.”

Aeolus laughed. “Really? Just the key to your success! Now, where were we? Ah, yes, you want information. Are you sure about that? Sometimes information can be dangerous?”

“We’re looking for the lair of Enceladus.” The Doctor said.

The smile melted off Aeolus’s face. “The giant? Why would you want to go there? He’s horrible! He doesn’t even watch my program!”

Piper held up the photo. “Aeolus, he’s got my father. We need to rescue him and find out where Hera is being held captive.”

“Now,  _ that’s  _ impossible,” Aeolus said. “Even  _ I  _ can’t see that, and believe me, I’ve tried. There’s a veil of magic over Hera’s location – very strong, impossible to locate.”

“She’s at a place called the Wolf House,” Jason said.

“Hold on!” Aeolus put a hand to his forehead and closed his eyes. “I’m getting something! Yes, she’s at a place called the Wolf House! Sadly, I don’t know where that is.”

“Enceladus does,” Piper insisted. “If you help us find him, we could get the location of the goddess –”

“Yeah,” Leo said, catching on. “And if we save her, she’d be really grateful to you –”

“And with both my word and her’s, how could Zeus not promote you?” The Doctor finished.

Aeolus’s eyebrows crept up. “A promotion – and all you want from me is the giant’s location?”

“Well, if you could get us there, too,” Jason added, “That would be great.”

Mellie clapped her hands in excitement. “Oh, he could do that! He often sends helpful winds –”  
“Melie, quiet!” Aeolus snapped. “I have half a mind to fire you for letting these people in under false pretenses.”

Her face paled. “Yes, sir. Sorry, sir.”

“It wasn’t her fault,” The Doctor said.

Aeolus tilted his head, his hand near his earpiece. “Well…” he said. “Zeus approves. He says…he says it would be better if you could avoid saving her until after the weekend, because he has a big party planned – Ow! That’s Aphrodite yelling at him, reminding him that the solstice starts at dawn. She says I should help you. And Hephaestus…yes. Hmm. Very rarely do they agree on anything. Hold on…”

Behind them, there was a loud belch and Coach Hedge made his way in from the lobby, grass all across his face. Mellie saw him coming across the makeshift floor and caught her breath. “Who is  _ that _ ?”

“That?” Jason stifled a cough. “That’s just Coach Hedge. Uh, Gleeson Hedge. He’s our…”

“Our guide.” Piper finished.

“He’s  _ so _ goatly,” Mellie murmured.

Behind her, Piper pretended to vomit.

“What’s up guys?” The satyr trotted over. “Wow, nice place. Oh! Sod squares.”

“Coach, you just ate,” Jason said, “And we’re using the sod as the floor. This is, ah, Mellie –”

“An aura.” Coach Hedge smiled winningly. “Beautiful as the summer breeze.”

The pink from earlier crept back onto the aura’s face.

“And Aeolus here was just about to help us.” Jason said.

“Yes,” The wind lord muttered. “It seems so. You’ll find Enceladus on Mount Diablo.”

“Devil Mountain?” Leo asked. “That doesn’t sound good.”

“I remember that place!” Piper said. “I went there once with my dad. It’s just east of San Francisco Bay.”

“The Bay Area again?” Coach Hedge shook his head. “Not good. Not good at all.”

“Now…” Aeolus began to smile. “As to getting you there –”

Suddenly, his face went slack. He bent over and tapped his earpiece as though it were malfunctioning. When he straightened up again, his eyes were wild and terrified. “She hasn’t spoken to me for centuries. I can’t – yes, yes I understand.”

He swallowed, “I’m sorry. New orders. You all have to die.”

Mellie squeaked. “But – but, sir! Zeus said to help them. Aphrodite, Hephaestus –”

“Mellie!” Aeolus snapped. “Your job is already on the line. Besides, there are some orders that transcend even the wishes of the gods, especially when it comes to the forces of nature.”  
“Whose orders?” The Doctor demanded.

Aeolus flicked his wrist, and far below them, a cell door opened in the pit. The Doctor could hear the storm spirits screaming out, spiraling up towards them.

“Even Zeus understands the order of things.” Aeolus said. “And if  _ she  _ is waking – by all the gods – she cannot be denied. Goodbye, heroes. I’m terribly sorry, but I’ll have to make this quick. I’m back on the air in four minutes.”

“No!” Melie screamed, and she dove at their feet, just as the storm spirits hit with a hurricane-like force, blasting the floor to pieces, shredding the carpet samples, marble, and linoleum into lethal pieces, yet Mellie’s robes spread out like a shield, absorbing the brunt of the impact. The six of them fell into the pit, and Aeolus screamed above them, “Mellie, you are  _ so  _ fired!”

“Quick,” Mellie yelled. “Son of Zeus, do you have any power over the air?”

“A little!” Jason called back.

“Then help me, or you’re all dead!” Mellie grabbed Jason’s hand, who in turn grabbed Piper. “Group hug!”

The Doctor, Coach Hedge, Leo, and Piper, all huddled together, hanging on to Jason and Mellie as they fell.

“This is NOT GOOD!” Leo yelled.

“Bring it on, gas bags!” Coach Hedge yelled up at the storm spirits. “I’ll pulverize you!”

“He’s magnificent,” Mellie sighed.

“Concentrate?” Jason prompted.

“Right!” She said.

Jason and Mellie channeled the wind so that their fall became more of a tumble into the nearest open chute. Still, they slammed into the tunnel and a painful speed and went rolling over one another down a steep vent without a way of stopping.

Finally, they began to slow down, but the storm spirits were screaming into the tunnel behind them.

“Can’t – hold – long,” Mellie warned. “Stay together! When the winds hit –”

“You’re doing great, Mellie,” Coach Hedge said. “My own mama was an aura, you know. She couldn’t have done better herself.”

“Iris-message me?” Mellie pleaded.

The coach winked.

“Could you guys plan your date later?” Piper screamed. “Look!”

Behind them, the tunnel was turning dark. “Can’t hold them,” Mellie warned. “But I'll try to shield you, do you one more favor.”

“Thanks, Mellie,” The Doctor said, “And you can get a much better job.”

She smiled, and then dissolved, wrapping them in a warm gentle breeze.

And then the winds hit, shooting them into the sky so fast that even the Doctor couldn’t hold on to consciousness.


	24. Café Verve

When the Doctor opened his eyes, he found himself at a table at a little American café. The air was brisk, and the sky was sunny. At other tables, a mix of cyclists, business people, and uni students all sat chatting and sipping coffees. There was the slight scent of eucalyptus, and around him, loads of people passed in front of quaint little shops, and the street was lined with bottlebrush trees and blooming azaleas. And from the taste of the air…California. 

Jason, Leo, Piper, and Coach Hedge were sitting in chairs around the table, their hands calmly folded across their chests, dozing pleasantly. And they all had new clothes on. The Doctor looked down to find that his own outfit had been changed. He was, thankfully, in a fresh new pinstripe suit – a blue one – with a maroon tie and his trenchcoat. He made a mental note to thank Aphrodite the next time he saw her.

“Mother!” Piper suddenly awoke, her yell waking up Jason, who bumped the table with his knees.

“What?” Coach Hedge demanded. “Fight who? Where?”

“Falling!” Leo grabbed the table. “No – not falling. Where are we?”

“California.” The Doctor grinned. “I haven’t been here in regenerations.”

Jason blinked, focusing on Piper, and then made a choking sound. “What are you wearing?”

Piper turned bright pink. She was wearing a lovely turquoise dress with black leggings and black leather boots. She was also wearing the snowboarding jacket from the bus, and on her wrist was a silver charm bracelet. She pulled out her knife and examined her reflection in it.

“It’s nothing,” She said. “It’s my –” She hesitated. “It’s nothing.”

Leo grinned. “Aphrodite strikes again, huh? You’re gonna be the best-dressed warrior in town, beauty queen.”

“Hey, Leo.” Jason nudged his arm. “You look at yourself recently?”

“What…oh.”

All five of them had been given a makeover, courtesy of Aphrodite. Leo was wearing pinstriped pants, black leather shoes, a white collarless shirt with suspenders, his tool belt, sunglasses, and a porkpie hat.

“Leo, god,” Piper was trying not to laugh. “I think my dad wore that to his last premiere, minus the tool belt.”

“Hey, shut up!”

“I think he looks good,” Coach Hedge decided. “‘Course, I look better.”

The satyr was painted in pastels with a baggy canary yellow zoot suit with two-tone shoes that fit over his hooves, a matching yellow broad-brimmed hat, and a rose-coloured shirt. Around his neck was a baby blue tie, and in his lapel was a blue carnation, that the coach quickly sniffed and ate.

“Well,” Jason said, “at least your mom overlooked me.”

Jason was dressed simply in jeans and a clean purple T-shirt like the one from the Grand Canyon. He had new trainers on, and his hair was neatly trimmed.

“Anyway,” Piper said uncomfortably, “how did we get here?”

“Oh, that would be Mellie,” Coach Hedge said, chewing happily on his carnation. “Those winds shot us halfway across the country, I’d guess. We would’ve been smashed flat on impact, but Mellie’s last gift – a nice soft breeze – cushioned our fall.”

“And she got fired for us,” Leo said. “Man, we suck.”

“Ah, she’ll be fine,” Coach Hedge said. “Besides, she couldn’t help herself. I’ve got that effect on nymphs. I’ll send her a message when we’re through with this quest and help her figure something out. That is one aura I could settle down and raise a herd of baby goats.”

“I’m going to be sick,” Piper said. “Anyone else want coffee?”

“Coffee!” Coach Hedge grinned, his face stained blue from the flower. “I love coffee!”

“Um,” Jason said, “But – money? Our packs?”

The Doctor looked down to find their rucksacks at their feet. Piper reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out a wad of cash. 

Leo whistled. “Allowance? Piper, your mom rocks!”

“Waitress!” Coach Hedge called. “Six double espressos, and whatever these guys want. Put it on the girl’s tab.”

It didn’t take all that long to figure out where in California they were. The menus said “Café Verve, Walnut Creek, CA.” And the Doctor reported it to be nine o’clock in the morning on December 21st. It was the winter solstice. They had three hours before Enceladus’s deadline.

But they didn’t have to wonder where Mount Diablo was. It may not have the biggest mountain, but it was visible on the horizon, right at the end of the street. It looked somewhat peaceful, with its golden creases marbled with gray-green trees. 

Leo pulled the old crayon drawing from his pocket.

“What is that?” Piper asked.

Leo folded it up gingerly again and put it away. “Nothing. You don’t want to see my kindergarten artwork.”

“It’s more than that.” The Doctor said. 

“Yeah, didn’t Aeolus say that it was the key to our success?” Jason asked.

Leo shook his head. “Not today. He was talking about…later.”

“How can you be sure?” Piper asked.

“Trust me,” Leo said. “Now – what’s our game plan?”

Coach Hedge belched, having already consumed three espressos, a plate of doughnuts, two napkins, as well as another flower from the vase on the table. He would’ve eaten the silverware as well had Piper not slapped his hand.

“Climb the mountain,” Coach Hedge said. “Kill everything except Piper’s dad. Leave.”

“Thank you, General Eisenhower,” Jason grumbled. The Doctor let out a snort of laughter.

“Hey, I’m just saying.”

“Guys,” Piper said. “There’s more you need to know. I just had this dream, and my mom was there. She told me there will be other trials to face, that Medea will be back,” Leo groaned unhappily. “With many other enemies. She said the sleeping woman’s opened the Doors of Death. She’s letting out the worst and most powerful dead, the ones who hate the gods, and the monsters are coming back from Tartarus the same way, which is why they won’t stay disintegrated. Mom said that their patron was a spirit of the pit.”

“Did she tell you who the sleeping woman is?” Leo asked eagerly.

Piper nodded. “Gaea.”

“Oh, that’s bad,” The Doctor mumbled. “That’s very bad.”

“Wait, how bad?” Jason asked, “Who is she?”

“Mom said she’s the earth itself, that she’s slumbered for eons, but is slowly waking. And once she wakes…”

“So we need to defeat the giants before that happens,” Leo said.

“Mom said the seven demigods must be gathered to defeat the giants, and the effort won’t succeed without me. When the two sides meet, I’ll be the mediator, I’ll determine whether there is friendship or bloodshed.”

“But what are the two sides?” Jason asked eagerly.

Piper shrugged helplessly.

“But Gaea, isn’t she just Mother Nature?” Leo asked. “She’s supposed to have, like, flowers in her hair and birds singing around her and deer and rabbits doing her laundry.”

“Leo, that’s Snow White,” Piper said.

“Gaea is the earth,” The Doctor said, “She is dangerous. Her husband Ouranos, he threw their first children, the Cyclopes, into Tartarus, which angered Gaea. They then had abouter set of children – the twelve Titans – and Gaea was afraid they’d get thrown into Tartarus as well, and so she gave Kronos his scythe and encouraged him to kill his father.”

Coach Hedge nodded. “She’s old and she’s powerful, and sleeping is the way we like to keep her.”

“But she talked to me,” Leo said. “How can she be asleep?”

Coach Hedge brushed crumbs off his canary yellow lapel. “Even in her sleep, part of her consciousness is active – dreaming, keeping watch, doing little things like causing volcanoes to explode and monsters to rise. Even now, she’s not fully awake. Believe me, you don’t want to see her fully awake.”

“But she’s getting more powerful,” Jason pointed out. “Starting with Hera. It’ll be another war. And Gaea will wake up fully.”

Coach Hedge nodded. “Which is why it’s a good idea for us to stay off the ground as much as possible.”

Leo looked warily at Mount Diablo. “So…climbing a mountain. That would be bad.”

“Guys,” Piper said regretfully, “This is too dangerous.”

“You’re kidding?” Coach Hedge belched and showed them his blue carnation smile. “Who’s ready to beat stuff up?”

“Far as I can go.” The cabbie said as they stopped halfway up the mountain at a closed ranger’s station. “You sure about this? Gonna be a long walk back, and my car’s acting funny. I can’t wait for you.”

“We’re sure.” Leo said quickly darting out of the cab. The Doctor, Piper, and Jason exchanged a confused glance and followed.

As they climbed out, the Doctor could see that the wheels were indeed sinking into the road – not quickly, but just fast enough that if the driver stayed in one place too long he’d be stuck. The road was hard-packed with dirt, there was no reason it should’ve been soft… Gaea was messing with them.

Leo handed the cabbie a wad of cash. “Keep the change,” He said. “And get out of here. Quick.” The driver didn’t argue.

The view of the mountain was lovely; the entire inland valley around Mount Diablo was a patchwork of towns – grids of tree-lined streets and posh middle-class suburbs, shops, and schools. 

“That’s Concord,” Jason said, pointing north. “Walnut Creek below us. To the south, Danville, past those hills. And that way…” He pointed west to where a ridge of golden hills held back a layer of fog. “That’s the Berkeley Hills. The East Bay. Past that, San Francisco.”

“Jason?” Piper asked, gently touching his arm. “You remember something? You’ve been here?”

“Yes…no.” He gave an anguished look. “It just seems important.”

“That’s Titan land.” Coach Hedge nodded towards the west. “Bad place, Jason. Trust me, this is as close to ‘Frisco as we want to get.”

Jason looked towards the fog in longing, like he wanted to just start running towards it.

The Doctor tried to walk towards him, but found his white converse now completely submerged in the dirt.

“We need to keep moving.” The Doctor said, wrenching his trainers from the ground. “Gaea must be stronger here.”

Coach Hedge grunted in agreement and popped his hooves free from his own shoes, then handed them to Leo. “Keep these for me, Valdez. They’re nice.”

Leo snorted. “Yes, sir, Coach. Would you like them polished?”

“That’s varsity thinking, Valdez.” The coach nodded approvingly. “But first, we’d better hike up this mountain while we still can.”

“How do we know where the giant is?” Piper asked.

The Doctor licked his finger and stuck it into the air. 

“Little left of the peak.”

“You can tell that by the air?” Piper asked in awe.

“Yeah,” Leo said. “That or he saw the smoke.” He pointed up towards the peak where a plume of smoke was eminanting.

The Doctor shrugged. “Smoke means people. C’mon.”

The Doctor and Coach Hedge were a little more used to climbing up mountains than the others were. It didn’t take long for Jason, Leo, and Piper to be panting. 

But finally, they made it up towards the top, the Doctor crouched behind a wall of rock and indicated for the others to do the same. Jason and Leo crawled up next to him, and Piper had to pull Coach Hedge down.

“I don’t want to get my outfit dirty!” Coach Hedge protested.

The Doctor hushed him, and the satyr reluctantly knelt.

Just over the ridge where they were hiding, the shadow of the mountain’s final crest, was a forested depression where the giant Enceladus had set up camp. 

Hundreds of trees had been cut down to make a massive purple bonfire, and the outer rim of the clearing was littered with extra logs and construction equipment.

Enceladus himself was massive, easily ten meters tall, staring intently at the fire, circling it and chanting under his breath. From the waist up, he was humanoid, with a large muscular chest clad in bronze armor and decorated with flame designs. His skin was bronze, but covered with soot and ash. His eyes were glowing a brilliant white, and his hair was matted in shaggy dreadlocks down to his shoulder, braided with bones. 

From the waist down, on the other hand, his legs were scaly and green, and instead of feet he had the forelegs of a dragon. In his hand, Eneladus was holding a massive spear, and every so often he dipped its tip into the fire, turning the metal a molten red.

But the one thing that really caught the Doctor’s eye was, just on the other side of the bonfire, the man that was tied to a post. His head was slumped forwards, clearly unconscious, but the Doctor didn’t need to see his face to know who he was.

“Piper.” He whispered, pointing.

“Dad,” She choked back a sob.

“Right, here’s the plan.” The Doctor said, his brain racing. “I’m going to distract them, Jason, you take the Sonic,” He tossed the Sonic Screwdriver to Jason, “And the rest of you go and rescue Piper’s dad.”

“Doctor, you can’t just do this alone.” Piper insisted.

“I’ll be fine.” The Doctor said flippantly.

“No way,” Leo said. “I’ll come with you.”

The Doctor hesitated, his face hardening. “Fine. One on condition: If I tell you to run, you run.”  
Leo nodded reluctantly.

“Right,” The Doctor said, his face brightening up again, “Allons-y!”


	25. The Giant Enceladus

It took about one full minute for the plan to go horribly wrong. Piper, Jason, and Coach Hedge were scrambling along the ridge, keeping their heads down (in hindsight, the Doctor probably shouldn’t have put the mad satyr with the group trying to be sneaky), whilst the Doctor and Leo made their way directly into the clearing.

“Oi!” The Doctor shouted, his voice echoing.

Enceladus stopped chanting at the flames. He turned towards the Doctor and Leo and grinned, revealing massive fangs.

“Oh, I thought you’d be expecting us. What with the massive fire,” The Doctor said gesturing around. “Looked as though you were  _ begging  _ for a visit.”

“You will make a good meal, puny half-blood.”

He opened his mouth wide and his teeth began to glow.

“Run!” The Doctor shouted. He dove left as Leo dodged behind the bulldozer, dropping something into the driver’s seat, then ran to the right, heading for a tree harvester.

The Doctor ran back towards the giant, diving beneath his legs and diverting his gaze in the opposite direction as Piper and Jason – but Coach Hedge was nowhere to be seen. That was very not good.

“AAAAAAAHHHHHH!” Coach Hedge’s voice echoed as he charged, club hoisted in the air.

But before he could get close, Enceladus slammed his spear against the ground, shaking the entire mountain. The Doctor, Leo, and Coach Hedge were sent sprawling.

Stumbling to his feet, the Doctor could see Coach Hedge, knocked out cold. Leo was clambering back to his feet. Piper and Jason had just about reached Piper’s father. 

“I see you, Piper McLean!” Enceladus bellowed, turning and blowing fire towards the two of them. 

They hurried out from behind the bushes and into the clearing, just escaping the fire.

The giant laughed. “I’m happy you’ve arrived. And you brought me my prizes!”

This was not good. 

It appeared that Leo was thinking the same thing, because Enceladus said, “That’s right, son of Hephaestus. I didn’t expect you all to stay alive this long, but it doesn’t matter. By bringing you here, Piper McLean has sealed the deal. If she betrays you, I’m as good as my word. She can take her father and go. What do I care about a movie star?”

The Doctor looked at Piper’s father. He was wearing a ragged dress shirt and torn trousers. His bare feet were caked with mud, and he had a large cut down the side of his face, his body looking sickly and thin. He was half-conscious, lifting his head slightly, letting out a groan. 

“Dad!” Piper yelled.

Her father blinked, trying to focus. “Pipes…? Where…”

Piper drew her dagger and faced Enceladus. “Let him go!”

“Of course, dear,” the giant rumbled. “Swear your loyalty to me, and we have no problem. Only these others must die.”

Piper looked back and forth between her friends and her father.

“He’ll kill you,” Leo warned. “Don’t trust him.”

“Oh, come now,” Enceladus bellowed. “You know I was born to fight Athena herself? Mother Gaea made each of us giants with a specific purpose, designed to fight and destroy a particular god. I was Athena’s nemesis, the  _ anti _ -Athena, you might say. Compared to some of my brethren – I am small! But I am clever. And I keep my bargain with you, Piper McLean. It’s part of my plan!”

Jason had his lance out, but before he could charge, Enceladus roared. It was so loud that it must’ve echoed all throughout the valley. At the edge of the forest, half a dozen Gegenees rose up from the earth. They shuffled forth, tiny in comparison to Enceladus, only about seven feet tall. Each of them had six arms and were wearing ragged leather loincloths.

“What – what are those?” Leo asked.

“Gegenees,” The Doctor said.

“In English?” Leo requested.

“The Earthborn,” It was Piper who answered. “Six-armed giants who fought Jason – the  _ first _ Jason.”

“Very good, my dear!” Enceladus sounded delighted. “They used to live on a miserable place in Greece called Bear Mountain. Mount Diablo is much nicer! They are lesser children of Mother Earth, but they serve their purpose. They’re good with construction equipment –”

“Vroom, vroom!” One of the Earthborn bellowed, and the others took up the chant, each moving their hands as though driving a vehicle. “Vroom, vroom!”

“Yes, thank you, boys,” Encedalus said. “They also have a score to settle with heroes. Especially anyone named Jason.”

“Yay-son!” The Earthborn screamed. They all picked up clumps of earth, which solidified in their hands into pointed stones. “Where Yay-son? Kill Yay-son!”

Enceladus smiled. “You see, Piper, you have a choice. Save your father, or ah,  _ try  _ to save your friends and face certain death.”

Piper stepped forth, her eyes blazing with such a rage that even the Earthborn backed away. To see that look on someone else’s face…it was unnerving.

“You will not take the people I love,” she growled. “None of them.”

Her words rippled across the clearing with such force that the Earthborn muttered, “Okay. Okay, sorry,” and began to retreat.

“Stand your ground, fools!” Enceladus bellowed. He snarled at Piper. “This is why we wanted you alive, my dear. You could have been so useful to us. But as you wish. Earthborn! I will show you Jason.”

The Doctor’s hearts dropped. But the giant king didn’t point to Jason, he pointed to the other side of the bonfire. He pointed to Piper’s father, hanging helpless and half conscious.

“There is Jason,” Enceladus said with pleasure. “Tear him apart!”

It took but one look between the four of them to know exactly what they were going to do. Jason charged Enceladus, tossing the Sonic back to the Doctor, who caught it and he and Piper rushed over to Piper’s father, and Leo dashed for the tree harvester, which stood between Piper’s father and the Earthborn.

The ropes were thick and tough, and Piper and the Doctor immediately got to work on them. The Doctor could see Leo leap towards the harvester and jump into the driver’s seat. He swung the crane arm through the bonfire, toppling logs onto the Earthborn and spraying sparks everywhere. Two giants went down under a fiery avalanche and melted back into the earth.

From the corner of his eye, the Doctor could see Jason, still fighting the giant. Somehow, he managed to continue to dodge the massive spear and fire breath.

And then one Earthborn charged the tree harvester. Leo swung the crane arm in his direction, and as soon as the blades touched the Gegeneesm he dissolved, splattering all over the clearing.

Finally, the Doctor and Piper managed to free Mr. McLean. 

“Take him back down the mountain.” The Doctor said. He then turned and ran across the clearing. 

An Earthborn was looming over Leo, a little larger than the rest.

Leo burst into flames and yelled, “Hephaestus!” Charging.

But he never had the chance. The Doctor jammed his Sonic into the Earthborn’s back, directly on his spine. Electricity spiked through him and he exploded into dust.

“Thanks.” Leo breathed.

“Fight’s not over yet,” The Doctor said, looking over to where Jason was fighting Enceladus. “C’mon.”


	26. The First Battle is Won

The Doctor watched as Enceladus swept his spear, meeting Jason’s javelin, and with a snap, the golden weapon shattered. The weapon exploded, sending Jason through the air. He landed on the opposite side of the crater, he tried to stand, but he slipped back down again.

Enceladus blinked at the destruction, then laughed. “Impressive! Unfortunately, that was your last trick, demigod.” He leapt the crater in a single bound, planting his feet on either side of Jason. The giant raised his spear, its tip hovering six feet above Jason’s chest. “And now,” He said, “my first sacrifice to Gaea!”

“Hey!” A knife went flying through the air and wedged itself into the giant’s thigh.

Enceladus looked down, plucking the knife from his flesh and dropping it onto the ground, his eyes on Piper, who was standing there, absolutely fuming. 

“Heads up!” Leo shouted, and a black metal wedge slammed into the giant whilst he was occupied with Piper.

With a massive  _ thunk! _ The giant toppled over and slid into the pit. The Doctor ran to Jason’s side, helping him up, Piper quickly joining him.

“Don’t die on me,” she ordered. “You are  _ not  _ dying on me.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Jason nodded.

A little ways behind her, the Doctor could see Leo, standing over a cannon with a single massive piston, the edge broken clean off. 

Down in the crater, Enceladus was struggling to rise, a massive axe blade stuck in his breastplate. He managed to pull it free, yelping in pain. The mountain trembled, and golden ichor soaked the front of his armor, yet he still managed to stand.

Shakily, he bent down to retrieve his spear.

“Good try.” The giant winced. “But I cannot be beaten.”

They watched as the golden armor mended itself and the ichor stopped flowing. 

Leo ran up to them, saw the giant, and cursed. “What  _ is  _ it with this guy? Die, already!”

“My fate is pre-ordered,” Enceladus said. “Giants cannot be killed by gods and heroes.”

“Only by both,” Jason said. The giant’s smile faltered. “It’s true, isn’t it? Both gods and demigods have to work together to kill you.”

“You will not live long enough to try!” The giant started stumbling up the crater’s slope, slipping on the glassy sides.

“Anyone have a god handy?”

“Aliens don’t count by any chance, do they?” Piper asked hopefully.

“Nope.” The Doctor said.

“Just thought I’d check.”

Jason suddenly looked up. “I’ve got an idea. Leo, if you’ve got rope in that tool belt, get it ready.”

He then leapt at the giant with no weapon.

“Enceladus!” Piper then yelled convincingly. “Look behind you!”

“What?” He spun around.

Jason took this opportunity to tackle his legs, sending the giant slamming into the crater and slid to the bottom. Whilst he attempted to rise, Jason put his arms around the giant’s neck, and when he managed to struggle to his feet, Jason was on his shoulders.

“Get off!” Enceladus screamed, trying to grab Jason’s legs, but Jason scrambled around, squirming and climbing over the giant’s hair, whispering a prayer.

It was then that dark clouds swirled above. The giant seemed to notice it too.

“Hit the deck!” Jason shouted.

The Doctor, Leo, and Piper dropped to the ground as lightning surged through Jason’s body, directly through Enceladus, and into the ground. The Doctor could feel the lightning split the ground, tearing the mountain apart. Enceladus’s back stiffened and Jason was thrown from his back. Enceladus went crashing into the chasm. He clawed helplessly at the glassy sides of the pit.

“You’ve won nothing, boy.” The giant said. “My brothers are rising, and they are ten times as strong as I. We will destroy the gods at their roots! You will die, and Olympus will die with –”

The giant then lost his grip and fell into the crevice.

The earth shook. Jason fell towards the rift.

“Grab hold!” Leo shouted, he was feeding the rope over a tree so it would function as a pulley, the Doctor was beneath, throwing the rope to where Jason was.

Jason’s feet were at the edge of the chasm when he grabbed at the rope, and the Doctor hurried back to where Piper and Leo were to help them pull him up.

They stood together, exhausted, as the chasm closed and the ground was still and silent. For now, Gaea was gone.

The mountainside was on fire, smoke billowing high into the air. Above there was a helicopter, probably humans coming to investigate. Oh, how he loved humans.

The Earthborns had melted into piles of clay, leaving rock missiles and loincloths strewn about. But it wouldn’t be long before they reform. Construction equipment lay in ruins and the ground was scarred and blackened.

Coach Hedge shifted, and sat up with a groan, rubbing his head. He blinked, and looked around. “Did I do this?”

But before anyone could reply, Coach Hedge picked up his club and shakily got to his hooves. “Yeah, you wanted some hoof? I have you some hoof, cupcakes! Who’s the goat, huh?”

He did a little dance, kicking rocks and making rude gestures at the piles of clay.

Leo cracked a smile, and he and Jason began to laugh hysterically.

Then, a man stood up across the clearing and staggered forth. Piper’s father’s eyes were hollow and traumatized. 

“Piper?” He called, his voice cracked. “Pipes, what – what is –”

He couldn’t finish, as Piper ran over to him, hugging him tightly.

“We need to get out of here.” Jason said.

“Yeah, but how?” Leo asked. “He’s in no shape to walk.”

The Doctor looked up at the helicopter in the sky. “I’ve got an idea.”


	27. Rescue Mission

Piper’s charmspeak managed to persuade the pilot to land on the mountain. The Park Service copter was big enough for medical evacuations or search and rescue, and so Piper was able to convince them to fly the group to the Oakland Airport.

“No,” Piper’s father muttered as he was picked up off the ground. “Piper, what – there were monsters – there were monsters.”

The Doctor, Leo, and Piper helped to hold Piper’s father, whilst Coach Hedge and Jason gathered their supplies.

“It’ll be okay, Dad,” Piper said, soothingly. “These people are my friends. We’re going to help you. You’re safe now.”

He blinked and looked up at helicopter rotors. “Blades. They had a machine with so many blades. They had six arms…”

When they got him to the bay doors, the pilot came over to help. “What’s wrong with him?” He asked.

The Doctor looked him over quickly. “I would say, smoke inhalation, heat exhaustion, dehydration, and malnutrition.”

“We should get him to the hospital.” The pilot said.

“It’s okay,” Piper said convincingly. “The airport is good.”

“Yeah, the airport is good,” the pilot agreed immediately. Then she frowned, as though uncertain why she’d changed her mind. “Isn’t he Triston McLean, the movie star?”

“No,” Piper said. “He only looks like him. Forget it.”

“Yeah,” the pilot said. “Only looks like him. I –” She blinked in confusion. “I forgot what I was saying. Let’s get going.”

Jason raised his eyebrows at Piper, impressed. Piper looked absolutely miserable. 

“Piper,” Triston McLean grasped his daughter’s hand in his own. “It’s you? They told me – they told me you would die. They said…horrible things would happen.”

“It’s me, Dad.” Piper said, tears brimming in her eyes. “Everything’s going to be okay.”

“They were monsters,” he said. “Real monsters. Earth spirits, right out of Grandpa Tom’s stories – and the Earth Mother was angry with me. And the giant, Tsul’kälû, breathing fire –” He focused on Piper again. “They said you were a demigod. Your mother was…”

“Aphrodite,” Piper said. “I know. She was the goddess of love.”

“I – I –” He took a shaky breath and didn’t complete his thought.

“I didn’t know about Mom,” Piper told him, “Not until you were taken. When we found out where you were, we came right away. My friends helped me. No one will hurt you again.”

Piper’s father was shivering. “You’re heroes – you and your friends. I can’t believe it. You’re a  _ real  _ hero, not like me. Not playing a part. I’m so proud of you, Pipes.” But the words were muttered listlessly and sounded half-conscious.

He gazed down on the valley. “Your mother never told me.”  
“She thought it was for the best.” Piper admitted.

“Greyhound One request for landing.” The Doctor said over the coms. There was an irritated sigh that sounded suspiciously like,

“Uch, Brits.” But they were permitted to land.

“So, what’s the plan?” Jason asked as they unloaded on the tarmac.

“First thing,” Piper said. “I – I have to get my dad home. I’m sorry, guys.”

“There’s nothing to be sorry about.” The Doctor said.

“Pipes, no.” Her father had been sitting in the helicopter doorway, a shock blanket wrapped around his shoulders. He stumbled to his feet. “You have a mission. A quest. I can’t –”

“I’ll take care of him,” said Coach Hedge.

They all stared at him. “You?” Piper asked.

“I’m a protector.” Coach Hedge said. He sounded crestfallen but sincere. “That’s my job, not fighting.” 

Coach Hedge straightened and set his jaw. “Of course, I’m good at fighting, too.” He glared at them all, as if daring them to argue.

“Yes,” Jason said quickly.

“Terrifying.” Leo agreed.

The coach grunted. “But I’m a protector, and I can do this. Your dad’s right, Piper. You need to carry on with the quest.”

“But…” Piper protested. “Dad…”

He held out his arms and she embraced him.

“I can’t believe it,” Her father said. “I failed you.”

“No, Dad!”

“The things they did, Piper, the visions they showed me…”

“Dad, listen.” Piper removed a bloodred vial from her pocket – the same one from Medea’s shopping mall. “Aphrodite gave me this, for you. It takes away your recent memories. It’ll make it like none of this ever happened.”

He gazed at her. “But you’re a hero. I would forget that?”

“Yes,” Piper whispered. “Yes, you would. It’ll be like – ike before.”

He closed his eyes and took a shaky breath. “I love you, Piper. I always have. I – I sent you away because I didn’t want you exposed to my life. Not the way I grew up – the poverty, the hopelessness.Not the Hollywood insanity either. I thought – I thought I was protecting you.” He managed a brittle laugh. “As if your life without me was better, or safer.”

Piper handed him the vial. “Take it. Maybe someday we’ll be ready to talk about this again. When you’re ready.”

“When I’m ready,” He echoed. “You make it sound like – like I’m the one growing up. I’m supposed to be the parent.” He took the vial, his eyes glimmering. “I love you, Pipes.”

“Love you, too, Dad.”

He drank the liquid and his eyes rolled up into his head. He slumped forth, and the Doctor and Piper both jumped forwards to catch him.

“I got him.” Coach Hedge said. “I already asked our ranger friend to call up his plane. It’s on the way now. Home address?”

Piper looked as though she was going to say something, but then reached into her father’s pocket and removed a mobile phone. 

“Everything’s on here,” Piper said. “Address, his chauffeur's number. Just watch out for Jane.”

By the time Piper explained about Jane, her father’s plane had rolled up next to the helicopter. 

Coach Hedge and a flight attendant got Piper’s father on board, and then the coach came down to say goodbye. He gave Piper a hug and glared at Jason, Leo, and the Doctor. “You cupcakes take care of this girl, you hear? Or I’m gonna make you do push-ups.”

“You got it, Coach,” Leo said, a smile tugging at his mouth.

“No push-ups,” Jason agreed.

“We’ll take good care of her.” The Doctor promised.

Piper gave the satyr one last hug. “Thank you, Gleeson. Take care of him, please.”

“I got this, McLean,” He assured her. “They got root beer and veggie enchiladas on this flight, and one hundred percent linen napkins – yum! I could get used to this.”

And then the plane was heading down the runway, and Piper began to cry. Jason wrapped his arms around her.

“Your father’s in good hands.” The Doctor said, watching the plane lift into the air. “And you were brilliant.”

Leo nodded, and handed her some tissues from his toolbelt.

“Thank you, guys,” Piper said. “I –”

Then, right next to Jason, the air began to shimmer and an irish message appeared, revealing a dark-haired girl in silver winter camouflage, holding a bow.

“Thalia!” The Doctor grinned.

“Thank the gods,” the Hunter said. Behind her, the Doctor could hear yelling and metal clashing against metal, and explosions. “We’ve found her,” Thalia said. “Where are you?”

“Oakland,” The Doctor said. “Where are you?”

“The Wolf House! Oakland is good; you’re not too far. We’re holding off the giant’s minions, but we can’t hold them forever. Get here before sunset, or it’s all over.”

“Then it’s not too late?” Piper cried.

“Not yet,” Thalia said. “But Doctor – it’s worse than I realized. Porphyrion is rising. Hurry.”

“Right,” the Doctor said, “Where is the Wolf House.”

“Jason,” Thalia said, “Our last trip, the park, Jack London. Remember?”

Jason stumbled backwards slightly, his face paled, and the iris message disappeared.

“Jason…” The Doctor said, “Do you know where that is?”

“Yes,” Jason said. “Sonoma Valley. Not far. Not by air.”

Piper turned to the ranger pilot, who’d been watching all of this with an increasingly puzzled expression.

“Ma’am,” Piper said sweetly, “You don’t mind helping us one more time, do you?”

“I don’t mind,” the pilot agreed.

“We can’t take a mortal into battle,” Jason said. “It’s too dangerous.” He looked at the Doctor. “Do you think you could fly this thing?”

The Doctor shrugged. “I suppose we’ll see, won’t we?”

“Um, actually,” Leo said awkwardly. “I can fly it.”

“Seriously?” Piper said.

Leo examined the helicopter. “Bell 412HP utility helicopter, composite four-blade main rotor, cruising speed twenty-two knots, service ceiling twenty-thousand feet. The tank is near full. Yeah, I can fly it.”

Piper smiled at the ranger again. “You don’t mind if we borrow this, do you? We’ll return it.”

“I –” The pilot hesitated, “I don’t have a problem with that.”

Leo grinned. “Hop in, kids. Uncle Leo’s gonna take you for a ride.”


	28. The Wolf House

The sun was going down as they flew north over the Richmond bridge. The Doctor sat in the copilot’s seat, and watched as Leo’s brain would go on autopilot and he would fly with confidence, flicking all the right switches and turning the right dials, but then he would seem to focus again, he would become less certain and they would shudder in the air.

“Going okay?” Piper called anxiously from behind them.

“Aces,” He said. “So what’s the Wolf House?”

Jason sighed. “An abandoned mansion in the Sonoma Valley. A demigod built it – Jack London.”

“He an actor?” Leo asked.

“An American novelist.” The Doctor corrected.

“He wrote adventure stuff, right?” Piper said. “ _ Call of the Wild _ ?  _ White Fang _ ?”

“Yeah,” Jason said. “He was a son of Mercury – I mean, Hermes. He was an adventurer, traveled the world. He was even a hobo for a while. Then he made a fortune writing. He brought a big ranch in the country and decided to build this huge mansion – the Wolf House.”

“Named that ‘cause he wrote about wolves?” Leo guessed.

“Partially,” Jason said. “But the site, and the reason he wrote about wolves – he was dropping hints about his personal experience. There’s a lot of holes in his life story – how he was born, who his dad was, why he wandered around so much – stuff you can only explain if you know he was a demigod.”

The bay slipped behind them as the helicopter continued north, and yellow hills rolled out ahead of them.

“So Jack London went to Camp Half-Blood,” Leo guessed.

“No,” Jason said. “No, he didn’t.”

“Bro, you’re freaking me out with the mysterious talk.” Leo said. “Are you remembering your past or not?”

“Pieces,” Jason said. “Only pieces. None of it good. The Wolf House is on sacred ground. It’s where London started his journey as a child – where he found out he was a demigod. That’s why he returned there. He thought he could live there, claim that land, but it wasn’t meant for him. The Wolf House was cursed. It burned in a fire a week before he and his wife were supposed to move in. A few years later, London died, and his ashes were buried on the site.”

“So,” Piper said, “How do you know all this?”

A shadow crossed Jason’s face. “I started my journey there too,” He said. “It’s a powerful place for demigods to entomb Hera on the solstice and raise Porphyrion – that might be enough to awaken the earth goddess fully.” 

They were quiet for a long time. “Thirty minutes out,” Leo reported. “If you want to get some rest, now’s a good time.”

Jason strapped himself into the back of the helicopter and passed out almost immediately. Piper sat down between the two seats in the front.

After a few minutes of silence, Leo said, “Your dad’ll be fine, you know. Nobody’s gonna mess with him with that crazy goat around.”

Piper glanced over. “My dad,” She said thoughtfully. “Yeah, I know. I was thinking about Jason. I’m worried about him.”

“He’s starting to remember,” Leo said, “That’s got to make him a little edgy.”

“But what if…what if he’s a different person?”

“No,” The Doctor said, “Who he is – the person, that he is, never changed. If he was arrogant, he would still be arrogant. If he was cruel, he would still be cruel. Piper, Jason is kind. He has always been kind, and getting his memories back won’t change that.”

Piper smiled, “Thanks. I – I really needed that. I need him…” she cleared her throat. “I mean I need to trust him.”

“Hey, don’t worry,” Leo said. “Piper, you’re the strongest, most powerful beauty queen I’ve ever met. You can trust yourself. For what it’s worth, you can trust me too.”

The helicopter dipped in a wind shear and Leo cursed colourfully and rightened the chopper.

Piper laughed nervously. “Trust you, huh?”

“Ah, shut up, already.” He grinded.

It was then that they hit the storm clouds.

Sleet pounded the windshield as frost built up around the edges of the glass.

“An ice storm?” Piper shouted over the engine and the wind. “Is it supposed to be this cold in Sonoma?”

“We’ve got to be getting close.” Jason shouted, having woken up.

Leo wrestled with the controls as they began to lose altitude. Below them, the ground was a dark quilt of trees and fog. The ridge of a hill loomed before them, and they just barely cleared the treetops.

“There!” Jason shouted.

A small valley opened up before them, with the murky shape of a building in the center. All around them were flashes of lights as trees cracked and exploded at the edges of the clearing. Shapes moved through the mist, and combat surrounded them.

Leo set the helicopter down in an icy field fifty meters from the house and killed the engine. The Doctor then heard a whistling sound and saw a dark shape hurtling towards them from the mist.

Leo apparently saw this as well, shouting “Out!”

The four of them leapt from the helicopter and barely cleared the rotors before an explosion shook the ground, knocking the Doctor, Leo, Jason, and Piper off their feet.

The Doctor turned around to see that a massive snowball had completely flattened the helicopter.

“Guess we owe that ranger lady a new helicopter.” Leo said.

The sounds of combat rang across the valley. It sounded as though there was a circle of fighting all around the Wolf House. And behind them loomed the home – a large ruin of red and gray stones and rough-hewn timber beams. Once it was lovely, that was for sure, but now it had a lonely, haunted feeling.

“Jason! Doctor!” Thalia called.

The girl appeared from the fog, her parka caked with snow. Her bow was in her hand, and her quiver was nearly empty. She ran towards them, but made it only a few steps before an Earthborn burst out of the storm behind her, a raised club in hand.

“Thalia!” The Doctor shouted warningly. Leo, Jason, and Piper surged forth to help, but Thalia needed no assistance. She launched herself into a flip, notching an arrow as she pivoted skillfully and landed in a kneeling position, catching the Gegenees directly between the eyes and melted into a pile of clay.

Thalia stood and retrieved her arrow, but the point had snapped off. “That was my last one.” She kicked the pile of clay resentfully. “Stupid ogre.”

“Nice shot, though,” Leo said.

Thalia ignored him and hugged Jason, nodded to Piper, and grinned at the Doctor. “Just in time. My Hunters are holding the perimeter around the mansion, but we’ll be overrun any minute.”

“By Earthborn?” Jason asked.

“ _ And  _ wolves – Lycaon’s minions.” Thalia blew a fleck of ice off her nose. “Also storm spirits –”

“But we gave them to Aeolus!” Piper protested.

“Who tried to kill us,” Leo pointed out. “Maybe he’s helping Gaea again.”

“I don’t know,” Thalia said. “But the monsters keep reforming almost as fast as we can kill him. We took the Wolf House with no problem: surprised the guards and sent them straight to Tartarus. But then this freak snowstorm blew in. Wave after wave of monsters started attacking. Now we’re surrounded. I don’t know who or what is leading the assault, but I think they planned this. It was a trap to kill anyone who tried to rescue Hera.”

“Where is she?” The Doctor asked.

“Inside.” Thalia said. “We tried to free her, but we can’t figure out how to break the cage. It’s only a few minutes until the sun goes down. Hera thinks that’s the moment when Porphyrion will be reborn. Plus, most monsters are stronger at night. If we don’t free Hera soon –”

She didn’t need to finish the thought.

The moment Jason stepped across the threshold into the Wolf House, he immediately collapsed.

“Hey!” Leo caught him. “None of that, man. What’s wrong?”

“This place…” Jason shook his head. “Sorry…It came rushing back to me.”

“So you  _ have  _ been here,” Piper said.

“We both have,” Thalia said, her expression grim. “This is where my mom took us when Jason was a child. She left him here, told me he was dead. He just disappeared.”

“She gave me to the wolves,” Jason murmured. “At Hera’s insistence. She gave me to Lupa.”

“That part I don’t know.” Thalia frowned. “Who is Lupa?”

An explosion shook the building.

“Maybe this isn’t the time for questions,” Leo suggested. “Show us the goddess.”

Inside, the house was built in a giant U, and Jason was leading them between two wings to an outside courtyard with an empty reflecting pool. At the bottom of the pool, just as Jason had described from his dreams, two spires of rock and root tendrils had cracked through the foundation.

One of the spires were much larger than the other – a solid dark mass about five meters high. Underneath the mass of fused tendrils, there was the shape of a head, wide shoulders, a large chest, and arms, rising from the earth.

On the opposite end of the pool, there was a smaller spire, it was more loosely woven, so the Doctor could see inside. In the center of the cage stood Hera. She had dark hair covered with a shawl, a black dress, and a wrinkled sace. She didn’t radiate any power – had the Doctor not known it was Hera, he would never have suspected she was a god.

He dropped into the pool, approaching the cage. Leo followed right behind. As the Doctor examined the cage for weaknesses, Leo spoke to the goddess. “ _ Hola, Tîa.  _ Little bit of trouble?”

Hera scowled and crossed her arms. “Don’t inspect me like I’m one of your machines, Leo Valdez. Get me out of here!”

Thalia stepped next to them and looked at the goddess with distaste. “We tried everything we could think of, Leo, but maybe my heart wasn’t in it. If it was up to me, I’d just leave her in there.”

“Ohh, Thalia Grace,” The goddess said. “When I get out of here, you’ll be sorry you were ever born.”

“Save it!” Thalia snapped. “You’ve been nothing but a curse to every child of Zeus for ages. You sent a bunch of intestinally challenged cows after my friend Annabeth –”

“She was disrespectful!”

“You dropped a statue on my legs.”

“It was an accident!”

“ _ And  _ you took my brother!” Thalia’s voice cracked with emotion. “Here – on this spot. You ruined our lives. We should leave you to Gaea!”

“Hey,” Jason intervened. “Thalia – Sis – I know. But this isn’t the time. You should help your Hunters.”

Thalia clenched her jaw. “Fine. For you, Jason. But if you ask me, she isn't worth it.”

“I don’t like her all that much either,” The Doctor admitted, “But that doesn’t mean we should leave her like this.”

Thalia scowled and leapt from the pool, storming out of the building.

The Doctor looked at Hera. “Even when you get out of this cage, you’ll have a lot to answer for.”

“And who’s going to make me?” She smirked. “ _ You?” _

“Yes, me.”

“I think we both know you’re not capable of any  _ real  _ power.”

“You don’t know what I’m capable of,” The Doctor growled. “I could destroy the entire Greek council in an instant.”

“Okay, ladies,” Piper said, “Break it up.”

The Doctor made a face, but moved back from the cage.

Leo raised his eyebrows at Hera. “Intestinally challenged cows?”

“Focus on the cage, Leo.” She grumbled. “And Jason – you are wiser than your sister. I choose my champion well.”

“I’m not your champion, lady,” Jason said. “I’m only helping you because you stole my memories and you’re better than the alternative. Speaking of which, what’s going on with that?”  
He nodded to the other spire that had the slowly growing figure in it.

“That, Jason,” Hera said, “Is the king of the giants being reborn.”

“Gross,” Piper said.

“Indeed,” Hera areed. “Porphyrion, the strongest of his kind. Gaea needed a great deal of power to raise him again –  _ my  _ power. For weeks I’ve grown weaker as my essence was used to grow him a new form.”

“So you’re like a heat lamp,” Leo guessed. “Or fertilizer.”

Hera glared at him. “Joke all you wish, but at sundown, it will be too late. The giant will awake. He will offer me a choice: marry him, or be consumed by the earth. And I cannot marry him. We will all be destroyed. And as we die, Gaea will awaken.”

Leo frowned at the spire. “Can’t we blow it up or something?”

“Without me, you do not have the power,” Hera said. “You might as well try to destroy a mountain.”

“Done that once today,” Jason said.

“Just hurry up and let me out!” Hera demanded.

The Doctor looked to Leo and Piper. “ _ The forge and dove shall break the cage _ .”

Leo frowned. “If she’s a goddess, why hasn’t she busted herself out?”

Hera paced furiously around the cage, cursing in Ancient Greek. “Use your brain, Leo Valdez. I  _ picked  _ you because you’re intelligent. Once trapped, a god’s power is useless. Your own father trapped me once in a golden chair. It was humiliating! I had to beg –  _ beg  _ him for my freedom and apologize for throwing him off Olympus.”

“Sounds fair,” Leo said. The Doctor nodded in agreement.

Hera glared at Leo. “I’ve watched you since you were a child, son of Hephaestus, because I knew you could aid me at the moment. If anyone can find a way to destroy this  _ abomination _ , it is you.”

“But it’s not a machine.” Leo protested. “It’s like Gaea thrust her hand out of the ground and…Hold on. I do have an idea. Piper. I’m going to need your help. And we’re going to need time.”

The air turned brittle with cold and the temperature dropped as venti rushed in, and behind them came wolves and Earthborn.

“Jason and I will take care of them,” The Doctor said. “You and Piper find a way to break the cage.”

But one of the wolves padded forth, dragging a human-sized statue by the leg. At the edge of the pool, the wolf opened its maw and dropped the statue for them to see – an ice sculpture of a girl, an archer with short spiky hair and a surprised look on her face.

“Thalia.” The Doctor breathed, he and Jason both tried to rush forth, Piper and Leo managed to hold back Jason, but the Doctor broke through, running to Thalia’s side. The ground around the statue was already webbed with ice.

“Who did this?” He demanded.

From somewhere behind the monsters, the Doctor could hear laughter, clear, cold, and cruel. She stepped out from the mist in her snowy white dress and silver crown that was perched atop her long black hair.

_ “Bon soir, mes amis, _ ” Khione said, giving Leo a frosty smile. “Alas, son of Hephaestus, you say you need time? I’m afraid time is one tool you do not have.”


	29. The Giant, Porphyrion

“What’ve you done?” Jason demanded, breaking through Leo and Piper’s grip and joining the Doctor at Thalia’s side.

“Oh, so many things,” The snow goddess purred. “Your sister’s not dead, if that’s what you mean. She and her Hunters will make fine toys for our wolves. I thought we’d defrost them one at a time and hunt them down for amusement. Let  _ them  _ be prey for once.”

The wolves snarled appreciatively.

“Yes, my dears.” Khione kept her eyes on Jason and the Doctor. “Your sister almost killed their king, you know. Lycaon’s off in a cave somewhere, no doubt licking his wounds, but his minions have joined us to take revenge for their master. And soon Porphyrion will arise, and we shall rule the world.”

“Traitor!” Hera shouted. “You meddlesome, D-list goddess! You aren’t worthy to pour my wine, much less rule the world.”

Khione sighed. “Tiresome as ever, Queen Hera. I’ve been wanting to shut you up for millennia.”

Khione waved her hand, and ice encased the prison, sealing in the spaces between the earthen tendrils.

“That’s better,” the snow goddess said. “Now, demigods, about your death –”

“You tricked Hera into coming here.” The Doctor realized. “You suggested that Zeus close Olympus.”

The wolves snarled and the storm spirits whinnied, ready to attack, but Khione held up her hand. “Patience, my loves. If he wants to talk, what matter? The sun is setting, and time is on our side. Of course, Doctor. Like snow, my voice is quiet and gentle, and very cold. It’s easy for me to whisper to the other gods, especially when I am only confirming their own deepest fears. I also whispered in Aeolus’s ear that he should issue an order to kill demigods. It is a small service for Gaea, but I’m sure I will be well rewarded when her sons, the giants, come to power.”

“You could’ve killed us in Quebec,” Jason pointed out. “Why let us live?”

Khione wrinkled her nose. “Messy business, killing you in my father’s house, especially when he insists on meeting all visitors. I did  _ try,  _ you remember. It would've been lovely if he’d agreed to turn you to ice. But once he’d given you guarantee of safe passage, I couldn’t openly disobey him. My father is an old fool. He lives in fear of Zeus and Aeolus, but he’s still powerful. Soon enough, when my new masters have awakened, I will depose Boreas and take the throne of the North Wind, but not just yet. Besides, my father did have a point. Your quest was suicidal. I fully expected you to fail.”

“And to help us with that,” Leo said, “you knocked our dragon out of the sky over Detroit. Those frozen wires in his head – that was  _ your  _ fault. You’re gonna pay for that.”

“You’re also the one who kept Enceladus informed about us,” Piper added. “We’ve been plagued by snowstorms the whole trip.”

“Yes, I feel so close to all of you now!” Khione said. “Once you made it past Omaha, I decided to ask Lycaon to track you down so Jason could die here, at the Wolf House.” Khione smiled at him. “You see, Jason, your blood spilled on this sacred ground will taint it for generations. Your demigod brethren will be outraged, especially when they find the bodies of these two from Camp Half-Blood, and a member of the Greek council.” She licked her lips. “They’ll believe the Greeks have conspired with giants. It will be…delicious."

“You’ll set demigods against demigods,” Jason said.

“It’s so easy!” Khione said. “As I told you, I only encourage what you would do anyway.”

“But why?” Piper spread her hands. “Khione, you’ll tear the world apart. The giants will destroy everything. You don’t want that. Call off your monsters.”

“But that’s exactly what she wants.” The Doctor murmured. “She  _ wants _ chaos.”

“Oh, how right you are,” Khione said, “And if we destroy the mortal world, all the better! They never honoured me, even in Greek times. Humans and their talk of global warming. Pah! I’ll cool them down quickly enough. When we retake the ancient places, I will cover the Acropolis in snow.”

“The ancient places.” The Doctor murmured. “That’s what Enceladus meant about destroying the roots of the gods. He meant Greece.”

“You could join me, Time Lord,” Khione said. “It would be enough for my plan if these other three were to die. Mortals – humans, they’re so small, so meaningless. Live and rise at my side.”

The Doctor raised an eyebrow. “This planet – you think I’m here for the gods?” He laughed coldly. “The gods are arrogant and selfish – as are the giants, and as are  _ you _ . This world is full of people. Mad, nïeve, beautiful,  _ brilliant  _ people. And you want to destroy them?”

Khione laughed. “You really think that highly of them?”

“You don’t have to do this,” The Doctor pleaded. “You can stop this now.”

Khione pouted. “You would’ve made a good ally.”

She sent a blast of wintry sleet at the Doctor, and the Doctor fully expected to be frozen, until a figure jumped in front of him, and when the steam dissipated, there was Leo, a massive grin on his face.

“See, lady, that’s what happens to snow in Texas. It – freaking – melts.”

Khione hissed. “Enough of this. Hera is failing. Porphyrion is rising. Kill them all. Let them be our king’s first meal!”

The monsters charged.

A wolf launched himself at the Doctor, who rolled underneath it. He saw Jason fly through the air, attempting to harness the winds of one of the storm spirits. He held fast as he landed on the horse’s back and he bucked. 

“Tempest?” The Doctor could hear Jason saying over the commotion. “Is that your name?”

The horse spirit shook his mane, pleased to be recognized.

The Doctor was then thrown across the room by an Earthborn.

Through the chaos, the Doctor could see Piper surrounded by Earthborn, Jason charging and vaporizing enemies atop Tempest, and Leo in combat with Khione, burning through each of her attacks.

Thanks to Jason, most of the enemies were quickly dispatched, and Leo was bearing down on the goddess of snow.

“You’re too late,” Khione snarled. “He’s awake! And don’t think you’ve won anything here, demigods. Hera’s plan will never work. You’ll be at each other’s throats before you can ever stop us!”

Leo set his hammers ablaze and threw them at the goddess, but she turned into snow, and Leo’s hammers slammed into the snow woman, breaking it into a steaming mound of mush.

“Nice horse.” Piper said, looking at Jason.

Tempest reared on his hind legs, arcing electricity across his hooves.

There was a cracking sound behind them, and the melting ice on Hera’s cage sloughed off in a curtain of slush.

“Oh, don’t mind me!” The goddess called. “Just the queen of the heavens, dying over here!”

“Don’t tempt me.” Leo murmured as the four of them hurried over to her.

“The earth is claiming her,” The Doctor said as Hera began to sink into the ground.

“The giant wakes!” Hera warned. “You only have seconds!”

“On it,” Leo said. “Piper, I need your help. Talk to the cage.”

“What?”

“Talk to it. Use everything you’ve got. Convince Gaea to sleep. Lull her into a daze. Just slow her down, try to get the tendrils to loosen while I –”

“Right!” Piper cleared her throat and said, “Hey, Gaea. Nice night, huh? Boy, I’m tired. How about you? Ready for some sleep?”

The more Piper spoke, the more confident she sounded, and it appeared to have some effect on the cage. The mud’s rise slowed and the tendrils looked to soften a bit. Leo pulled a circular saw from his tool belt, he looked at the cord and grunted in frustration. “I don’t have anywhere to plug it in!”

The Doctor wordlessly soniced the saw, and it whirred to life.

“Dude, that thing’s awesome!” Leo grinned.

It was then that, on the other side of the pool, the giant’s spire crumbled. Its outer sheath of tendrils exploded from the top down, raining stone and wood shards as the giant shook himself free and climbed out from the earth.

Porphyrion was taller than Enceladus had been, and stronger. He was also humanoid from the waist up, clad in bronze armor, and from the waist down he had scaly dragon’s legs; but his skin was a pale green. His hair was a deeper shade of green, braided in long locks and decorated with weapons – daggers, axes, and full-sized swords, some bent and bloody, trophies taken from demigods eons before. When the giant opened his eyes, they were blank white. 

“Alive!” He bellowed. “Praise Gaea!”

“Leo, Piper, get Hera free,” The Doctor ordered, “Jason, let’s go bother a giant.”   
  


“Excellent!” The giant roared as the Doctor and Jason approached. “An appetizer! Who are you – Hermes? Ares?”

“Well, that’s a good question,” The Doctor said. “I could be a god, I could be a mortal. What would it matter? You’d eat me anyways.”

Porphyrion rumbled in agreement. “But I would like to know whom I am conquering.”

The Doctor began to walk around the giant. “You seem very sure you’ll be the conqueror.” He observed, “But Zeus destroyed you once, didn’t he?”

“But he didn’t, my dear!” Porphyrion squealed happily. “Zeus wasn’t powerful enough to kill me. He had to rely on a puny demigod to help, and even then, we almost one. This time, we will complete what we started. Gaea is waking. She has provisioned us with many fine servants. Our armies will shake the earth – and we will destroy you at the roots.”

“You wouldn’t dare,” Hera shouted from the cage, but it was evident in her voice that her strength was waning. She was halfway buried in the earth now. They were running out of time.

“Oh, yes,” the giant said. “The Titans sought to attack your new home in New York. Bold, but ineffective. Gaea is wiser and more patient. And we, her greatest children, are much, much stronger than Kronos. We know how to kill you Olympians once and for all. You must be dug up completely like rotten trees – your eldest roots torn out and burned.”

The giant then frowned at Piper and Leo, as if just noticing them working on the cage.

“Oi,” The Doctor averted his attention. “I’ve got to admit, I do like demigods, so if they’re so puny, how come one killed you?”

“Ha! You think I would explain it to you? I was created to be Zeus’s replacement, born to destroy the lord of the sky. I shall take his throne. I shall take his wife – or, if she will not have me, I will let the earth consume her life force. What you see before you, is only my weakened form. I will grow stronger by the hour, until I am invincible. But I am already quite capable of smashing you to a grease spot!”

He rose to his full height and held out his hand. A five meter spear shot from the earth. He grasped it, then stomped on the ground. The ruins shook. All around the courtyard, monsters began to regather – storm spirits, wolves, and Earthborn, all answering the giant king’s call.

“Great,” Leo muttered. “We needed more enemies.”

“Hurry,” Hera said.

“I know!” Leo snapped.

“Go to sleep, cage,” Piper said. “Nice, sleepy cage. Yes, I’m talking to a bunch of earthen tendrils. This isn’t weird at all.”

“Porphyrion,” The Doctor said, “I’m giving you one chance. Leave now.”

The giant laughed. “And why should I do that? You are nothing. The gods are nothing!”

“Oh, but I’m no god,” The Doctor said, “I’m worse than that. I’m the Doctor, I’m the Oncoming Storm, the Destroyer of Worlds, the Bringer of Darkness.” His eyes flashed with an ancient rage. “I’m giving you your one chance, no more.”

There was a slight hesitation, but the giant just laughed. “I must decline your offer, Doctor. For if you are not a god or demigod, you cannot kill me.”

“That is true,” The Doctor agreed, “But what I can do is stall for time. He grinned. I’ve got my demigod here,” The Doctor gestured to Jason, “And, who’s that? Oh, that sounds to me like a god.”

“Got it!” Leo yelled.

“Sleep!” Piper said so forcefully, that the nearest wolves fell to the ground.

The stone and wood cage crumbled. Leo had sawed through the base of the thickest tendril and seemingly cut off the cage’s connection to Gaea. The tendrils turned to dust. The mud around Hera disintegrated.

“For Rome!” Jason took this opportunity to strike. Using the Doctor as a springboard, he launched himself into the air, pulling a sword from the giant’s hair and impaled it into his neck, a lightning bolt streaked from the sky and blasting the sword.

The giant staggered back, his hair on fire, part of his face blackened by the lightning. Gold ichor ran down his jaw.

“Yes!” Hera shouted, throwing off her black robes to reveal a white gown, her arms bedecked with golden jewelry. A golden crown glowed in her long black hair. “Now I shall have my revenge!”

Porphyrion backed away. He said nothing, but he gave the Doctor one last look of hatred – a look he had gotten many times before. A look that said:  _ Another time. _ He then slammed his spear against the earth, and the giant disappeared into the ground.

Around the courtyard, monsters began to panic and retreat, but there would be no escape for them.

Hera glowed brighter. “Cover your eyes, my heroes!”

The goddess exploded.


	30. Back to Camp Half-Blood

“Jason!”

Piper was screaming the boy’s name. He hadn’t moved since Hera released her true form. His body was steaming, his eyes rolled back into his head.

“It’s no use, child.” Hera stood over them in her simple black robes and shawl. She had removed every vestige of winter from the valley. There were no signs of battle either, and every monster had been vaporized. The ruins had been restored to what they were before – still ruins, but with no evidence they’d been overrun by wolves, storm spirits, and Gegenees.

Even the Hunters had been revived. Most waited at a respectful distance in the meadow, but Thalia knelt by Piper’s side, her hand on Jason’s forehead.”

Thalia glared up at the goddess. “This is your fault. Do something!”

“Don’t address me that way, girl. I am the queen –”

“Oi!” The Doctor growled, “We saved you. The least you can do –”

“I  _ did  _ warn him.” Hera said. “I would never intentionally hurt the boy. He was to be my champion. I told them to close their eyes before I revealed my true form.”

“Um…” Leo frowned. “True form is bad, right? So why did you do it?”

“I unleashed my power to help you, fool!” Hera cried. “I became pure energy so I could disintegrate the monsters, restore this place, and even save those miserable Hunters from the ice.”

“But mortals can’t look upon you in that form!” Thalia shouted. “You’ve killed him!”

“This is what the prophecy meant.” The Doctor murmured. “ _ Death unleash, through Hera’s rage. _ ”

“He’s breathing!” Piper suddenly shouted.

“Impossible,” Hera said. “I wish it were true, child, but no mortal has ever –”

“She’s right.” The Doctor said, now at Jason’s side. “He’s breathing.”

“Jason,” Piper called, “Listen to me. You can do this. Come back. You’re going to be fine.”

“Healing is not a power of Aphrodite,” Hera said regretfully. “Even I cannot fix this girl. His mortal spirit –”

“Jason,” Piper repeated, ignoring the goddess. “Wake up.”

He gasped, his eyes flying open. For a moment, his eyes were full of light, and the Doctor jumped back,  _ Bad Wolf  _ on his lips. 

But then the light faded and his eyes returned to normal. “What – what happened?”

“Impossible!” Hera said.

Piper wrapped him in a hug until he groaned, “Crushing me.”

“Sorry,” she said.

Thalia gripped her brother’s hand. “How do you feel?”

“Hot,” he muttered. “Mouth is dry. And I saw something…really terrible.”

“That was Hera,” Thalia grumbled. “Her Majesty, the Loose Cannon.”

“That’s it, Thalia Grace,” said the goddess. “I will turn you into an aardvark, so help me –”

“Oi!” The Doctor glared at the goddess. “The Hunters saved your life.”

“That may be true,” Hera growled, “But this girl has disrespected me for the last time –”

“Stop it, all of you!” Piper shouted, and they all went silent. “Now, Hera – Your Majesty – the Doctor’s right, we couldn’t have rescued you without the Hunters. But Thalia, you never would’ve seen Jason again –  _ I  _ wouldn’t have met him – if it weren’t for Hera. Now all of you make nice, because we’ve got bigger problems.”

“Fine.” The Doctor grumbled after a long moment.

Thalia grunted. “You’ve got spirit, Piper.” She pulled a silver card from her parka and tucked it into the pocket of Piper’s snowboarding jacket. “If you ever want to be a Hunter, call me. We could use you.”

Hera crossed her arms. “Fortunately for  _ this  _ Hunter, you have a point, daughter of Aphrodite.” She assessed Piper, as if seeing her in the light for the first time. “You wondered, Piper, why I chose you for this quest, why I didn’t reveal your secret in the beginning, even when I knew Enceladus was using you. I must admit, until this moment I was not sure myself. Something told me you would be vital to this quest. Now I see I was right. You’re even stronger than I realized. And you are correct about the dangers to come. We must work together.”

Piper looked speechless, so Leo stepped in.

“Yeah,” He said. “I don’t suppose that Porphyrion guy just melted and died, huh?”

“No,” Hera agreed. “By saving me, and saving this place, you prevented Gaea from waking. You have bought us some time. But Porphyrion has risen. He simply knew better than to stay here, especially since he has not yet regained his full power. Giants can only be killed by a combination of god and demigod, working together. Once you freed me –”

“He ran away,” Jason said. “But to where?”

“Greece.” The Doctor said. “I’ll look into it once I’m back at the TARDIS.”

Thalia nodded. “I need to find Annabeth. She has to know what’s happened here.”

“Thalia…” Jason gripped her hand. “We never got to talk about this place, or –”

“I know.” Her expression softened. “I lost you once. I don’t want to leave you again. But we’ll meet soon. I’ll rendezvous with you back at Camp Half-Blood.” She glanced at Hera. “You’ll see them there safely? It’s the least you can do.”

“It’s not your place to tell me –”

“Queen Hera,” Piper interceded.

The goddess sighed. “Fine. Yes. Just off with you, Hunter!” Thalia gave Jason a hug and said her farewells. Once the Hunters were gone, the courtyard was quiet. The dry reflecting pool showed no sign of the earthen tendrils had brought back the giant king or imprisoned Hera. The night sky was clear and starry and the wind rustled in the redwoods. 

“Jason, what happened to you here?” Piper asked. “I mean – I know your mom abandoned you here. But you said it was sacred ground for demigods. Why? What happened after you were on your own.”

Jason shook his head uneasily. “It’s still murky. The wolves…”

“You were given a destiny,” Hera said. “You were given into my service.”

Jason scowled. “Because you forced my mom to do that. You couldn’t stand knowing Zeus had two children with my mom. Knowing that he’d fallen for her  _ twice _ . I was the price you demanded for leaving the rest of my family alone.”

“It was the right choice for you as well, Jason,” Hera insisted. “The second time your mother managed to snare Zeus’s affections, it was because she imagined him in a different aspect – the aspect of Jupiter. Never before had this happened – two children, Greek and Roman, born in the same family. You  _ had  _ to be separated from Thalia. This is where all demigods of your kind start their journey.”

“Of his kind?” Piper asked.

“She means Roman,” Jason elaborated. “Demigods are left here. We meet the she-wolf goddess, Lupa, the same immortal wolf that raised Romulus and Remus.”

“And if you’re strong enough, you live.” The Doctor finished unhappily. “It’s cruel.”

“But…” Leo looked mysetfied. “What happened after that? I mean, Jason never made it to camp.”

“Not to Camp Half-Blood, no,” Hera agreed.

“You went somewhere else.” Piper said. “That’s where you’ve been all these years. Somewhere else for demigods – but where?”

Jason turned to the goddess. “The memories are coming back, but not the location. You’re not going to tell me, are you?”

“No,” Hera agreed. “That is a part of your destiny, Jason. You must find your own way back. But when you do…you will unite two great powers. You will give us hope against the giants, and more importantly – against Gaea herself.”

“You want us to help you, but you’re holding back information.” The Doctor said.

“Giving you answers would make those answers invalid,” Hera said. “That is the way of the Fates. You must forge your own path for it to mean anything. Already, you four have surprised me. I would not have thought it possible…” The goddess shook her head. “Suffice to say, you have performed well, demigods,” She glared at the Doctor and regretfully added, “And Doctor. But this is only the beginning. Now you must return to Camp Half-Blood, where you will begin planning for the next phase.”

“Which you won’t tell us about,” Jason grumped. “And I suppose you destroyed my nice storm spirit horse, so we’ll have to walk home?”

Hera waved aside the question. “Storm spirits are creatures of chaos. I did not destroy that one, though I have no idea where he went, or whether you’ll see him again. But there is an easier way home for you. As you have done me a great service, so I can help you – at least this once. Farewell, demigods, for now.”

The world flipped.

When they rightened again, the Doctor, Piper, Jason, and Leo were back at the Camp Half-Blood dining pavilion in the middle of dinner. They were standing on the Aphrodite cabin’s table. Sixty campers rose at once, gawking at them in astonishment.

Leo jumped off the table, running to the nearest bronze brazier, and was sick.

“Doctor?” Chiron trotted forth, looking shocked. “What – How –?”

The Aphrodite campers stared up at Piper, Jason, and the Doctor.

“Hi,” Piper said casually. “We’re back.”

The Doctor made his way along the beach as Jason, Piper, and Leo recited the story in the dining pavilion. 

“How’d the quest go?”

The Doctor turned to see Annabeth striding towards him.

“Didn’t you hear it from the others?”

“Yeah,” She shrugged. “Thought I’d hear it from you, too. Not like you to run away like that.”

The Doctor laughed humorlessly. “It’s  _ very  _ like me.”

“Casualties?”

“Just a metal dragon, a princess, and probably a king.”

“Could’ve been worse.”

“It can always have been worse.”

Annabeth hummed in agreement.

“Any word on Percy?” The Doctor asked.

Annabeth’s face fell. “No…Nothing yet.”

“We’ll find him.”

“I know.” 

Annabeth examined him. “You look tired.”

“I’m fine.”

“No you’re not.”

“So you and Percy, you traveled with me?”

“Kind of,” Annabeth said. “Not through time and space and all that. We went on a few quests, and you spent the school year with Percy and his parents.”

“Did I?” The Doctor frowned. “I went domestic.” He made a face.

Annabeth laughed. “Don’t usually hang around?”

“Nah, I’ve got things to do planets to save!”

“Yeah, well,” Annabeth sighed, “the Earth could use some help right now.”

By the next afternoon, Piper was head of the Aphrodite cabin. Leo, as it turned out, had his own secrets to share. And soon Leo was leading the Doctor, Piper, Jason, Chiron, and the entire Hephaestus cabin towards the woods.

He led them through the forest to a limestone cliff, which Leo placed his hand on. His fingers smoldered and lines of fire spread from his fingertips, sizzling across the cliff face until it outlined a massive glowing red door.

Leo opened it, a massive grin on his face. “Welcome to Bunker Nine,” He said, “C’mon in.”

As they stepped in, some electric fluorescent lights flickered on, assisting torches that were mounted on the wall in illuminating the cavern.

The cavern itself was full of worktables and storage cages, with rows of massive doors along either wall, and staircases that led up to a network of catwalks high above. Thousands of tools were strewn about the room alongside bulletin boards and blueprints. Weapons, armor, shields, and all sorts of fighting supplies were scattered throughout, much of it partially finished.

Hanging from chains far above was a tattered banner that in Greek read: BUNKER 9.

On the central table was Festus’s head, still battered and scorched.

Leo went over to it, stroking the dragon’s forehead. “I’m sorry, Festus. But I won’t forget you.”

Jason placed a hand on Leo’s shoulder. “Hephaestus brought it here for you?”  
Leo nodded.

“But you can’t repair him,” Jason guessed.

“No way,” Leo said. “But the head is going to be reused. Festus will be going with us.”

Piper came over and frowned. “What do you mean?”

Before Leo could answer, Nyssa cried out, “Guys, look at this!”

She was standing at one of the worktables, flipping through a sketchbook. It was full of hundreds of diagrams for different machines and weapons.

“I’ve never seen anything like these,” Nyssa said. “There are more amazing ideas here than in Daedalus’s workshop. It would take a century just to prototype them all.”

The Doctor picked it up, “Oh, that’s brilliant. I mean, could use some revisions, but I’ll admit, it’s brilliant.”

“Rivisions?” Nyssa stared incredulously.

“But who built this place?” Jake Mason asked. “And why?”

The Doctor examined the map on the wall. It showed Camp Half-Blood with a line of triremes in the lake, catapults mounted on hills around the valley, and spots marked for traps, trenches, and ambush sites.

“It’s a wartime command center.” The Doctor said knowingly.

“Chiron, you said the camp was attacked once, wasn’t it?” Leo asked.

“In the Titan War?” Piper asked.

“No,” The Doctor said, “This map is from 1864,” He pointed at the date inked onto the top right corner of the map.

All eyes turned to Chiron.

Chiron swished his tail fretfully. “This camp has been attacked many times,” he admitted. “That map is from the last Civil War.”

“Civil War…” Piper said. “You mean the American Civil War, like a hundred and fifty years ago?”

“Yes and no,” Chiron said. “The two conflicts – mortal and demigod – mirrored each other, as they usually do in Western history. Look at any civil war or revolution from the fall of Rome onward, and it marks a time when demigods fought one another.”

“Or aliens.” The Doctor added helpfully. “A lot of them were aliens.”

“But  _ that _ Civil War,” Chiron ignored the Doctor and continued on, “was particularly horrible. For American mortals, it is still their bloodiest conflict of all time – worse than their casualties in the two World Wars. For demigods, it was equally devastating. Even back then, this valley was Camp Half-Blood. There was a horrible battle in these woods lasting for days, with terrible losses on both sides.”

“Both sides,” Leo said. “You mean the camp split apart?”

“No,” Jason spoke up. “He means two different groups. Camp Half-Blood was one side in the war.”

“And the other?” The Doctor asked.

Chiron glanced up at the tattered banner on the ceiling, as though remembering the day it was raised.

“The answer is dangerous,” he warned. “It is something I swore upon the River Styx never to speak of. After the American Civil War, the gods were so horrified by the toll it took on their children, that they swore it would never happen again. The two groups were separated. The gods bent all their will, wove the Mist as tightly as they could, to make sure the enemies never remembered each other, never met on their quests, so that bloodshed could be avoided. This map is from the final dark days of 1864, the last time the two groups fought. We’ve had several close calls since then. The nineteen sixties were particularly dicey. But we’ve managed to avoid another civil war – at least so far. Just as Leo guessed, this bunker was a command center for the Hephaestus cabin. In the last century, it has been reopened a few times, usually as a hiding place in times of great unrest. But coming here is dangerous. It stirs old memories, awakens the old feuds. Even when the Titans threatened last year, I did not think it worth the risk to use this place.”

“Hey, look,” Leo said defensively, “this place found  _ me _ . It was meant to happen. It’s a good thing.”

“I hope you’re right,” Chiron said.

“I am!” Leo pulled the old drawing out of his pocket and spread it on the table for all to see.

“There,” he said proudly. “Aeolus returned that to me. I drew it when I was five. That’s my destiny.”

Nyssa frowned. “Leo, it’s a crayon drawing of a boat.”

“Look,” He pointed to the largest schematic on the bulletin board – a blueprint showing a Greek trireme. The images revealed shocking similarities – the same number of masts and oars, the decorations on the shields and sails – it was exactly the same as the drawing.

“That’s impossible,” Nyssa said. “That blueprint has to be a century old at least.”

_ “‘Prophecy – Unclear – Flight,’” _ Jake Mason read from the notes on the blueprint. “It’s a diagram for a flying ship. Look, that’s the landing gear. The weaponry – Holy Hephaestus: rotating ballista, mounted crossbows, Celestial bronze plating. That thing would be one spankin’ hot war machine. Was it ever made?”

“Not yet,” Leo said. “Look at the masthead.”

There was no doubt – the figure at the front of the ship was the head of a familiar dragon.

“Festus.” The Doctor murmured.

“He’s meant to be our masthead,” Leo said. “Our good luck charm, our eyes at sea. I’m supposed to build this ship. I’m gonna call it the  _ Argo II.  _ And guys, I’ll need your help.”

“The  _ Argo II. _ ” Piper smiled. “After Jason’s ship.”

Jason looked somewhat uncomfortable, but he nodded. “Leo’s right. That ship is just what we need for our journey.”

“What journey?” Nyssa said. “You just got back!”

“We need to find Porphyrion.” The Doctor said. “He’s trying to destroy the gods at their roots.”

“Indeed,” Chiron said. “Much of Rachel’s Great Prophecy is still a mystery to me, but one thing is clear. You three – Jason, Piper, and Leo – are among the seven demigods who must take the quest. And there is no doubt in my mind that you – Doctor – must be there to protect them. You must confront the giants in their homeland, where they are strongest. You must stop them before they can wake Gaea fully, before they destroy Mount Olympus.”

“Um…” Nyssa shifted. “You don’t mean Manhattan, do you?”

No,” Leo said. “The original Mount Olympus. We have to sail to Greece.”


	31. The Council of Camp Half-Blood

It took a few minutes for that to settle in, and then the Hephaestus campers began to ask questions. Who were the other four demigods? How long would it take to build a boat? Why didn’t everyone get to go to Greece?

“Heroes!” Chiron struck his hoof on the floor. “All the details are not clear yet, but Leo is correct. He will need your help to build the  _ Argo II.  _ It is perhaps the greatest project Cabin Nine has ever undertaken, even greater than the bronze dragon.”

“It’ll take a year and a half at least,” Nyssa estimated.

The Doctor flipped his Sonic in the air. “With my help, it’ll be half that.”

“You have six months at most,” Chiron said. “You should sail by summer solstice, when the gods’ power is strongest. Besides, we evidently cannot trust the wind gods, and the summer winds are the least powerful and easiest to navigate. You dare not sail any later, or you may be too late to stop the giants. You must avoid ground travel, using only air and sea, so this vehicle is perfect. Jason, being son of the sky god…”

The centaur’s voice trailed off, no doubt thinking Percy Jackson.

Jake Mason turned to Leo. “Well, one thing’s for sure.  _ You  _ are now senior counselor. This is the biggest honour the cabin has ever had. Anyone object?”

No one did. All his cabimates smiled at him.

“It’s official, then,” Jake said. “You’re the man.”

“Well,” Leo said, looking dumbfounded. “If you guys elect me leader, you must be even crazier than I am. So let’s build a spankin’ hot war machine!”

The Doctor sat down next to Jason in Zeus’s cabin. He had moved his belongings to the corner alcove where Thalia had once slept. The Doctor noticed that Thalia’s photograph had returned to the wall.

“Some of my memories are coming back,” Jason said after a long silence. “The night Lupa tested me in the Wolf House, the long trip south to…to do something. The day I got my tattoo, the day I’d been raised on a shield and proclaimed a praetor. My friends – or, their faces…And some names…” He furrowed his eyebrows. “But it’s making me wonder if my relationship with Piper is – is okay.” He sighed. “I’ve got this name in my head, Reyna. I know her name, but I just don’t really know the nature of our relationship. I was just wondering if –” He averted his eyes nervously. “– if you could give me some advice.”

The Doctor laughed, “It’s been a while since someone’s asked me for advice.”

He thought for a long moment. 

“Do you like her?”

“Yes! Of course!”

“Then just start there. Getting your memories back won’t change your love for her.”

Jason sighed and looked up to his father’s statue.

“I just wish you’d give me some guidance, Dad.”

The Doctor then sensed a presence behind them, and he spun around, Jason following suit.

They found a woman in a black hooded robe with a goatskin cloak over her shoulders and sheathed Roman gladius in her hands.

“Hera,” Jason said.

She pushed back her hood. “To you, I have always been Juno. And your father has already sent you guidance, Jason. He sent you Piper, Leo, and the Doctor. They’re not just your responsibility. They are also your friends. Listen to them, and you will do well.”

“Did Jupiter send you here to tell me that?” Jason asked.

“No one sends me anywhere, hero,” She said forcefully. “I am not a messenger.”

“But you got me into this.” Jason said. “Why did you send me to this camp?”

“I think you know,” Juno said. “An exchange of leaders was necessary. It was the only way to bridge the gap.”

“I didn’t agree to it.”

“No. But Zeus gave your life to me, and I am helping you fulfill your destiny.”

Jason looked down at his orange camp shirt and the tattoos on his arm. “You’re not giving me all my memories,” He said. “Even though you promised.”

“Most will return in time,” Juno said. “But you must find your own way back. You need those next months with your new friends, your new home. You’re gaining their trust. By the time you sail your ship, you will be a leader at this camp. And you will be ready to be a peacemaker between two great powers.”

“What if you’re not telling the truth?” Jason asked. “What if you’re doing this to cause another civil war?”

Juno looked amused. “I am goddess of the family,” she said. “My family has been divided for too long.”

“They divided us so we don’t kill each other,” Jason said. “That seems like a pretty good reason.”

“The prophecy demands that we change. The giants will rise. Each can only be killed by a god and demigod working together. Those demigods must be the seven greatest of the age. As it stands, they are divided between two places. If we remain divided, we cannot win. Gaea is counting on this. You must unite the heroes of Olympus and sail together to meet the giants on the ancient battlegrounds of Greece. Only then will the gods be convinced to join you. It will be the most dangerous quest, the most important voyage, ever attempted by the children of the gods.”

Jason looked up again at the glowering statue of his father. “It’s not fair. I could ruin everything.”

“You could,” Juno agreed. “But gods need heroes. We always have.”

“Well, at least you're admitting to it now.” The Doctor said.

Hera scowled at him. “I have that reputation, Jason. But if you want the truth, I often envy other gods and their mortal children. You demigods can span both worlds. I think this helps your godly parents – even Jupiter, curse him – to understand the mortal world better than I.

The goddess sighed unhappily.

“I am the goddess of marriage,” She went on. “It is not in my nature to be faithless. I have only two godly children – Ares and Hephaestus – both of whom are disappointments. I have no mortal heroes to do my bidding, which is why I am so often bitter toward demigods – Heracles, Aenaes, all of them. But it is also why I favoured the first Jason, a pure mortal, who had no godly parent to guide him. And why I am glad Zeus gave you to me. You will be my champion, Jason. You will be the greatest of heroes, and bring unity to the demigods, and thus to Olympus.”

“And if I fail?” He asked.

“Great victory requires great risk,” she admitted. “Fail, and there will be bloodshed like we have never seen. Demigods will destroy one another. The giants will overrun Olympus. Gaea will wake, and the earth will shake off everything we have built over five millennia. It will be the end of us all.”

“Don’t fail then, got it.”

Someone pounded on the cabin doors.

Juno pulled her hood back over her face and handed Jason the sheathed gladius. “Take this for the weapon you lost. We will speak again. Like it or not, Jason, I am your sponsor, and your link to Olympus. We need each other.” She then looked at the Doctor. “We shall speak soon.”

The goddess then vanished and the doors creaked open, and Piper walked in.

“Annabeth and Rachel are here,” She said. “Chiron has summoned the council.”

The council was in a familiar room in the Big House around a Ping-Pong table. One of the satyrs were serving crisps and fizzy drinks.

The Doctor, Jason, Leo, and Piper sat side by side. Clarisse from the Ares cabin had her boots on the table, but no one dared object to this. Clovis from the Hypnos cabin was snoozing in the corner whilst Butch from the Iris cabin was seeing how many pencils he could fit in Clovis’s nose. Travis Stoll from the Hermes cabin was holding a lighter under a Ping-Pong ball to see if it would burn, and Will Solace from Apollo was absently wrapping and unwrapping a bandage around his wrist. Lou Ellen Blackstone from the Hecate cabin was playing ‘got your nose’ with Miranda Gardiner from the Demeter cabin, except that Lou Ellen had managed to actually disconnect Miranda’s nose, and Miranda was trying to get it back.

Rachel Dare, the oracle, sat beside Chiron at the head of the table. She was wearing her Clarion Academy school uniform dress and she smiled at the Doctor.

Annabeth didn’t look all that relaxed. She was wearing her armor over her camp clothes, with her knife at her side and her blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail.

As soon as the last councilor walked in Chiron said, “Let’s come to order. Lou Ellen, please give Miranda her nose back. Travis, if you’d kindly extinguish the flaming Ping-Pong ball, and Butch, I think twenty pencils is really too many for any human nostril. Thank you. Now, as you can see, the Doctor, Jason, Piper, and Leo have returned successfully…more or less. Some of you have heard parts of their story, but I will let them fill you in.”

Everyone looked expectantly at the Doctor, who rolled his eyes and told the story, Piper, Leo, and Jason chiming in every once in a while. The Doctor finished the story, and Jason added in Hera’s visit right before the meeting.

“So Hera was  _ here, _ ” Annabeth said. “Talking to you.”

Jason nodded. “Look, I’m not saying I trust her –”

“That’s smart,” Annabeth said.

“–but she isn’t making this up about another group of demigods. That’s where I came from.”

“Romans.” Clarisse tossed Seymour a Snausage. “You expect us to believe there’s another camp with demigods, but they follow the Roman forms of the gods. And we’ve never even heard of them.”

Piper sat forth. “The gods have kept the two groups apart, because every time they see each other, they try to kill each other.”

“I can respect that,” Clariss said. “Still, why haven’t we ever run across each other on quests?”

“Oh,yes,” Chiron said sadly. “You have, many times. It’s always a tragedy, and always the gods do their best to wipe clean the memories of those involved. The rivalry goes all the way back to the Trojan War, Clarisse. The Greks invaded Troy and burned it to the ground. The Trojan hero Aenaes escaped, and eventually made his way to Italy, where he founded the race that would someday become Rome. The Romans grew more and more powerful, worshipping the same gods but under different names, and with slightly different personalities.”

“More warlike,” The Doctor said in disgust. 

“More united.” Jason pitched in. “More about expansion conquest and discipline.”

“Yuck,” Travis said.

Several others looked equally as uncomfortable, although Clarisse shrugged indifferently.

Annabeth twirled her knife on the table. “And the Romans hated the Greeks. They took revenge when they conquered the Greek isles, and made them part of the Roman Empire.”

“Not exactly  _ hated  _ them,” Jason said. “The Romans admired Greek culture, and were a little jealous. In return, the Greeks thought the Romans were barbarians, but they respected their military power. So during Roman times, the demigods started to divide – either Greek or Roman.”

“And it’s been that way ever since,” Annabeth guessed. “But this is crazy. Chiron, where were the Romans during the Titan War? Didn’t they want to help?”

Chiron tugged at his beard. “They  _ did  _ help, Annabeth. While you, Percy, and the Doctor were leading the battle to save Manhattan, who do you think conquered Mount Othrys, the Titans’ base in California?”

“Hold on,” Travis said. “You said Mount Othrys just crumbled when we beat Kronos.”

“No,” Jason said. “It didn’t just fall. We destroyed their palace. I defeated the Titan Krios myself.”

“The Bay Area.” Annabeth said, thoughtfully. “We demigods were always told to stay away from it because Mount Othrys was there. But that wasn’t the only reason, was it? The Roman camp – it’s got to be somewhere near San Francisco. I bet it was put there to keep watch on the Titans’ territory. Where is it?”

Chiron shifted in his wheelchair. “I cannot say. Honestly, even  _ I  _ have never been trusted with that information. My counterpart, Lupa, is not exactly the sharing type. Jason’s memory, too, has been burned away.”

“The camp’s heavily veiled with magic,” Jason said. “And heavily guarded. We could search for years and never find it.”

“But you’ll try, won’t you?” Rachel asked. “You’ll build Leo’s boat, the  _ Argo II.  _ And before you make for Greece, you’ll sail for the Roman camp. You’ll need their help to confront the giants.”

“Bad plan,” Clarisse warned. “If those Romans see a warship coming, they’ll probably assume we’re attacking.”

“You’re probably right,” Jason agreed. “But we have to try. I was sent here to learn about Camp Half-Blood, to try to convince you the two camps don’t have to be enemies. A peace offering.”

“Hmm,” Rachel said. “Because Hera is convinced we need both camps to win the war with the giants. Seven heroes of Olympus – some Greek, some Roman.”

Annabeth nodded in agreement. “Your Great Prophecy – what’s the last line?”

“ _ And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death. _ ”

“Gaea’s opened the Doors of Death,” Annabeth said. “She’s letting out the worst villains of the Underworld to fight us. Medea, Midas – there’ll be more, I’m sure. Maybe the line means that the Roman and Greek demigods will unite, and find the doors and close them.”

“Or it could mean they fight each other at the doors of death,” Clarisse pointed out. “It doesn’t say we’ll cooperate.”

There was a long silence.

“I’m going,” Annabeth said. “Doctor, when you get this ship built, let me go with you.”

“It’s not up to me.” The Doctor said, indicating to Jason.

“I was hoping you’d offer,” Jason said. “You of all people – we’ll need you.”

“Wait.” Leo frowned. “I mean that’s cool with me and all. But why Annabeth of all people?”

Annabeth and Jason exchanged a look.

“Hera said my coming here was an exchange of leaders,” Jason said “A way for the two camps to learn of each other’s existence.”

“Yeah?” Leo said. “So?”

“An exchange goes two ways,” The Doctor picked up. “When Jason got here, his memory was wiped, he didn’t know who he was or where he belonged. He found his new home here. He knows that Camp Half-Blood is not his enemy. Percy Jackson is at the Roman camp. And he doesn’t remember who he is.”


	32. There's Always Someone Else to Save

“Are you ready, Doctor?” The Doctor spun around to find Hera waiting for him as he walked along the beach.

“Ready for what?”

“To fulfill your final part of our agreement. Or do you need a reminder?”

She placed her fingers on the Doctor’s forehead and he reluctantly took in the memory.

“Percy Jackson needs you.” Hera said as he opened his eyes again.

“Right then,” The Doctor plastered on a mad grin. “Allons-y!”

Hera gave him an irritated look, and the two of them disappeared.


End file.
